Date limit for the constitution of the financial security of activities referred to in the law of environmental responsibility

On the 30^th of October 2017 the Official State Bulletin (B.O.E.) published the APM Order 1040/2017 (link in Spanish) of the 23^rd of October through which it sets the date limit for the compulsory constitution of the financial security. After this date, it will be enforceable for those activities listed in Annex III of Law No 26/2007 of the 23^rd of October 2007 on Environmental Responsibility, classified as Priority Level 1, and as Priority Level 2, using the Order ARM/1783/2011 (link in Spanish), of the 22^nd of June and amending its Annex.

With the adoption of this Order, it is established that activities classified with Priority Level 1 in the Order ARM/1783/2011, of the 22^nd of June, must have a financial guarantee, one year after the date of entry into force of this order, which will be the 31^st of October 2018. Activities classified with a Priority Level 2 in the Order ARM/1783/2011, of the 22^nd of June, must possess a financial guarantee, two years after the date of entry into force of this order, which will be the 31^st of October 2019.

Priority Level 1 Activities

• Operators subject to the scope of application of the Royal Decree 840/2015, of the 21^st of September, approving measures to control the risks inherent in serious accidents involving dangerous substances (SEVESO)

• Categories of industrial activities listed in Annex I of the Consolidated Text of the Law on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (Royal Legislative Decree 1/2016, of the 16^th of December)

                1. Combustion facilities

                       1.1. Combustion installations with a rated thermal input equal to or greater than 50 MW:

                                    1.1.a. Facilities that produce electrical energy in an ordinary regime or in a special regime, with the combustion of fossil fuels, waste or biomass.

                                    1.1.b. Cogeneration installations, boilers, steam generators or any other equipment or installation of existing combustion in an industry, irrespective if it is their main activity.

                5. Waste management

                       5.1. Facilities used for the recovery or disposal of hazardous waste, with a capacity of more than 10 tons per day to perform one or more of the following activities:

                                      5.1.a. Biological treatment.

                                      5.1.b. Physical and chemical treatment.

                                      5.1.e. Recovery or regeneration of solvents.

                                      5.1.f. Recycling or recovery of inorganic materials other than metals or metallic compounds.

                                      5.1.g. Regeneration of acids or alkaline.

                                      5.1.h. Recovery of components used for pollution abatement.

                                      5.1.i. Recovery of components from catalysts.

                                      5.1.j. Regeneration or reuse of oils.

                        5.2. Facilities for the recovery or disposal of waste incineration or co-incineration of waste:

                                      5.2.b. For hazardous waste with a capacity exceeding 10 tons per day.

Priority Level 1 activities must have financial guarantee before 31^st of October 2018.

Priority Level 2 Activities

• Categories of industrial activities listed in Annex I of the Consolidated Text of the Law on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (Royal Legislative Decree 1/2016, of the 16^th of December)

                1. Combustion facilities

                       1.2. Oil and gas refineries:

                                    1.2.a. Crude oil facilities or for the refining of crude oil.

                                    1.2.b. Facilities that produce fuel gas, other than natural gas and liquefied petroleum gases.

                       1.3. Coke.

                2. Production and processing of metals

                       2.2. Facilities that produce cast iron or steel melting in bulk (primary or secondary), including those for continuous casting facilities with a capacity of more than 2.5 tons per hour.

                       2.3. Facilities for the processing of non-ferrous metals:

                                    2.3.c. Application of layers of protection of molten metal with a treatment capacity of more than 2 tons of crude steel per hour.                               

                       2.4. Ferrous metal foundries with a production capacity of more than 20 tons per day.

                4. Chemical Industries. The manufacture, for the purposes of the categories of activities of this Order, designates the manufacture on an industrial scale by chemical or biological transformation of products or groups of products referred to in the following sections:

                       4.2. Chemical installations for the manufacture of inorganic chemicals such as:

                                    4.2.d. Salts such as ammonium chloride, potassium chlorate, potassium carbonate (Potash), sodium carbonate (soda), perborates, silver nitrate.                            

                       4.5. Chemical facilities that use a chemical or biological process for the manufacture of medicinal products, including intermediate products.

                       4.6. Chemical installations for the manufacture of explosives.

                5. Waste management

                       5.5. Landfill sites of all kinds of waste receiving more than 10 tons per day or with a total capacity of more than 25,000 tons excluding landfills for inert waste.

Priority Level 2 activities must have financial guarantee before 31^st of October 2019.