Ben Freeman
Environment Agency
- Conference: Global Mercury Monitoring conference
- Presentation: Legislation and BREF requirements
- Presentation Time: Day2 14:30
Ben joined the Environment Agency from an environmental consultancy, firstly working in permitting before moving to a compliance role in which he was responsible for inspecting and auditing industrial plants including power stations and waste incinerators. He then moved to the Environment Agency’s Environment & Business Department where he worked on a number of national regulatory projects before taking over as Senior Advisor for Energy from Waste five years ago. Ben was also the UK’s lead representative in the Technical Working Group for the Waste Incineration BREF review in Seville.
The Waste Incineration BAT Conclusions require incinerators to fit mercury continuous emissions monitors (CEMs) unless incinerating waste with a “proven low and stable mercury content”. A protocol has been developed by the UK Regulators together with input from industry which allows operators to demonstrate low and stable mercury by virtue of their periodic monitoring results. By ensuring that they maintain their emissions below an agreed threshold level, operators will not be required to fit mercury CEMS. This session will explore the way the protocol works, how the emissions threshold was agreed, and the advantages and disadvantages of the approach.