Commission seeks to reduce pollution from power stations and factories Emission limits for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust from large combustion plants (LCPs) will be halved when a new Commission proposal is adopted. The proposal to amend Directive 88/609/EEC would also extend the legislation to cover gas turbines as well as the large b... Emission limits for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust from large combustion plants (LCPs) will be halved when a new Commission proposal is adopted. The proposal to amend Directive 88/609/EEC would also extend the legislation to cover gas turbines as well as the large boilers covered in the existing Directive. Once adopted, the new stricter limits would apply to all new plants operational after the year 2000. These new measures constitute an important element in a package of EU measures designed to bring about cleaner air and help protect the ecosystem against acidification. The proposal is also seen as an important element in the EU's climate change strategy, by indirectly reducing carbon dioxide emissions through promoting combined heat and power generation and the use of vegetable biomass for electricity production. Enlarging the scope of the Directive to include gas turbines responds to the rapid increase in their use for the production of electricity. Limit values for nitrogen oxide emissions from such installations are introduced in the proposal. The existing technical provisions of the current legislation would be updated, in particular, the provisions relating to the monitoring of emissions and related compliance. Improvements in the data collected for the annual inventory of polluting emissions from LCPs is also provided for, which should prove valuable as a basis for future actions. The extra costs resulting from these provisions are estimated at less than ECU 2,000 million over the ten-year period following their entry into force.
