A "BREF" guidance note setting out EU-wide emission benchmarks for large combustion plants under the integrated pollution prevention control (IPPC) regime was agreed before Christmas, in the face of strong lobbying from the electricity generating industry. Two further "horizontal" BREFs were also approved, covering storage materials and the evaluation of economic factors and cross-media effects. BREFs set out EU-wide guidance on the "best available techniques" (BAT) to be applied under the IPPC Directive. The latest three documents bring the total number of approved BREFs to 21, leaving nine more to be finalised by the end of 2005. The process is proving time-consuming, however, with the BREFs on combustion plant and storage taking roughly five years from start to finish. The European IPPC Bureau, an arm of the EU's Joint Research Centre, is now starting work on reviewing existing BREFs.
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