Proposals for new standard rules permit for capture, treatment and storage of biogas from lagoons and tanks

The EA are consulting on the introduction of a new standard rule permit for operators to collect and store biogas from a lagoon or tank and upgrade that biogas to biomethane. When the biogas meets the biomethane quality protocol and can be used in vehicles or injected to the electricity grid, it will no longer be considered waste. The standard rule set is supported by a generic risk assessment to ensure that the risks to the environment and human health are reduced to an acceptable level for these activities.

The consultation is open until 9th November 2023 – please send any comments to [email protected] by 26th October.

This consultation is:

• to seek your views on the proposed new standard rules permit for capture, treatment, and storage of biogas from lagoons and tanks
• to help the EA understand risk and whether the new standard rules permit ensures that the risks to the environment and human health are reduced to an acceptable level for this activity
• to understand how the EA will apply the new proposed standard rules and subsistence charges for this standard rules permit

The Environment Agency will take the consultation responses into account and will publish their response, together with the new and revised standard rules and risk assessments, on GOV.UK.

Once the new or revised standard rules permits are published, existing permit holders will be given a period of 3 months to comply with the revised rules.

Operators who cannot meet the requirements of the revised standard rules permits will need to apply to vary their standard permit to a bespoke permit. Bespoke permits allow the EA to undertake site specific assessments.