Bosch Commercial and Industrial is urging plant operators to prepare ahead of the rapidly approaching implementation of the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD).

The MCPD, launched by the European Commission to limit the emissions of certain pollutants into the air from medium combustion plants, will apply to all combustion plants with a thermal input between 1 and 50 MW. In particular, the directive will apply to all steam boilers generating above approximately 1.5 tonnes of steam per hour and any diesel or gas engine generators rated above 400kVA.

Contracts manager at Bosch Commercial and Industrial, Matthew Walton, is calling on both managers and operators to familiarise themselves with the directive’s Emission Limit Values (ELVs), as the directive is expected to affect around 17,000 plants in the UK.

He said: “It is not yet clear who will be managing the process and collating emissions data for plants and equipment under the MCPD, but once the directive has been adopted by the UK, all equipment used by medium plants must comply. Each individual plant will have to meet ELVs for the production of NOx, SOx and dust, all of which have now been set by the European Commission.”

“At Bosch, our entire range of industrial boilers is already compliant with the directive and though existing plants may have more time to comply, depending on their MW rating, consultants and engineers should make sure they are familiar with the requirements in order to design plants which will stand the test of time. The leeway offered for existing plants means managers and operators can gradually ensure that their equipment is compliant over time, to avoid unanticipated upgrade costs and possible penalties.”