The Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, through the Regional Directorate for the Environment will promote an information session on the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC), known as environmental licensing, and on the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) with the title of “1st Regional Meeting of IPPC/ PRTR Operators.” This information session will take place on October 22 and 23.
In addition to the presentation by the Regional Directorate for the Environment on the IPPC and PRTR themes, the IPPC/ PRTR operators make presentations on the Environmental performance of their facilities at this meeting to be held at the Centro do Mar (Sea Centre) located at the former whaling factory in Porto Pim (in Horta) on October 22 at 2 PM. The initiative is mainly addressed at the operators of such facilities and the respective Licensing Entity.
The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) aims to prevent or, when it is not possible, to reduce the emissions of certain activities and establishments into the air, water or soil, prevent and control noise, and monitor waste production in order to achieve a high level of environmental protection, whose legal scheme is integrated in the IPPC Directive (Directive no. 2008/1/CE of the EU Parliament and of the Council of January 15 which is already transposed into the internal law by the Decree-Law no. 173/2008 of August 26).
This legislation comprises the economic activities that are potentially associated with significant pollution, defined according to their nature and/or the production capacity of these facilities and their operation is subject to obtaining an Environmental Permit which is issued in the Region by the Regional Directorate for the Environment.
Regarding the 16 identified IPPC facilities in the Azores, 15 have already obtained an Environmental Permit and the 16th permit will be issued until the first week of November this year.
The Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) intends to facilitate public access to the information on the environment and to disseminate that information, thus raising the public’s awareness and participation in the decision-making process concerning this domain, whose legal scheme is integrated in the PRTR Regulation (Regulation (EC) no. 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 January).
An annual inventory regarding the 2007 PRTR has taken place until the present moment and a 2nd inventory regarding the 2008 PRTR is taking place, with 100% participation by the operators comprised by both cases.