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Vital Energi York Hospital Standard Rules SR2022 No.9 MCPD permit application. Started in March 2023 and application submitted in May 2023. Permit issued on 13th November 2023.
Vital Energi Utilities Ltd work with numerous sectors to deliver multi-technology generation, distribution and consumption solutions. They install and operate a number of Energy Centres in the UK. The appliances that make up these centres, generally consist of natural gas fired boilers and Combine Heat and Power (CHP) engines. They provide a combination of steam, hot water and power to large infrastructural facilities such as hospitals or large numbers of commercial and residential properties via district heat networks. They have over 83,000 homes connected to district heating.
They have offices across England and Scotland with their business focus on Energy Generation & Storage, Energy Distribution and Energy Supply & Consumption Management. With over 30 years’ experience, they have in-house capability to design, install, and operate decentralised energy generation and multi-utility network distribution schemes, including some of the UK’s largest and longest established district heating networks. As well as providing tailored energy management schemes to manage, measure, and reduce energy consumption, they design and install the latest renewable and low carbon technologies, from heat pumps and solar PV farms, to battery storage and waste heat recovery.
Vital Energi were seeking to install a new dual fuelled boiler at the Energy Centre serving York Hospital. As this new boiler had a capacity of more than 1MWth, it fell under the Medium Combustion Plant Directive and required permitting immediately. However, due to an impending deadline of January 2024 for existing appliance with a capacity greater than 5MWth to be permitted and the fact that there were existing boilers in the Energy Centre that had capacities greater than 5MWth, there was uncertainty as to what specific environmental permit was required for this site.
announcement
Yes, you still need an MCPD permit even after the January 2024 deadline. The requirement for the permit depends on the rated thermal input of your medium combustion plant (MCP). If your MCP has a rated thermal input that exceeds 5MW, you must have obtained a permit after January 1, 2024. For MCPs with a rated thermal input less than 5MW, the deadline to obtain a permit is January 1, 2028. Therefore, if your MCP falls into these categories, you are required to have an MCPD permit. Please check the specific requirements and apply for your environmental permit accordingly.
WRM have worked with Vital Energi for a number of years to support with permit applications across a number of sites, which has led to the successful issue of many environmental permits. WRM work closely with each client to ensure the details of each facility are known before advice is provided on the type of permit required and the documentation that needs to be produced in support of the application. In this instance, our team identified that the Energy Centre at York Hospital qualified for a Standard Rules SR2022 No.9 permit due to the combination of appliances and the specific location of the site. We then produced the supporting documentation, including the design and implementation of an Environmental Management System, before submitting it to the Environment Agency. The process started in March 2023 and the Vital Energi – York Hospital MCPD Permit application was submitted in May 2023.
announcement
The SR2022 No.9 MCPD permit is a standard rule permit issued by the UK government for the operation of new and existing medium combustion plants (MCPs) which are natural gas boilers. It specifies the limits and conditions under which these MCPs can operate, including the type of fuel they can burn, their location, and their rated thermal input.
An environmental permit was issued for the site, covering all appliances in November 2023. This means that the existing boilers were permitted in advance of the January 2024 deadline and the site can continue to operate in line with the Environmental Permitting Regulations.
WRM have worked successfully with Vital Energi on over 10 projects with further sites requiring permitting support in the offing.
In light of the impending deadline of January 2024 to have all existing appliances with a capacity greater than 5MWth permitted, if you need support in choosing the appropriate permit for your site and submitting an application to the Environment Agency, then please contact us.