Last update: 08/11/2004

Application field

Verify whether your activity falls within the IPPC field of application

Legislative Decree no. 372 of 4 August, 1999 regulates the issuance, renewal and revision of the Integrated Environmental Authorization for existing industrial plants that fall within activity categories listed under Attachment I of the above Decree. Its contents are reported below.

Activity Categories provided by Attachment I of Legislative Decree no. 372/99.
1. Energy activities.
1.1. Combustion plants having a thermal combustion capacity of over 50 MW(1).
1.2. Oil and gas refineries.
1.3. Coking plants.
1.4. Gasification and coal liquefaction plants.

(1) Requirements for existing plants contained in Directive no. 88/609/EEC remain in force until 31 December 2003.

2. Metal production and processing.
2.1. Plants for roasting or sintering of metallic minerals including sulphured minerals.
2.2. Plants producing cast iron and steel (primary or secondary fusion) including the relative casting flow having a capacity higher than 2,5 tons per hour.
2.3. Plants processing ferrous metals through:
a) hot rolling having a capacity higher than 20 tons of raw steel per hour;
b) hammer forging having an energy impact higher than 50 kilojoule per hammer and a calorific value higher than 20 MW;
c) cast metal protective layer application having a processing capacity higher than 2 tons of raw steel per hour.
2.4. Ferrous metal foundries having a production capacity higher than 20 tons per day.
2.5. Plants:
a) for the extraction of non ferrous raw metals from minerals and for the production of extracts or secondary raw materials through chemical or electrolytic metallurgical processes; b) for the fusion and casting of non ferrous metals, including recycled products (refining, foundry moulding) having a fusion capacity higher than 4 tons per day for lead and cadmium or 20 tons per day for all other metals.
2.6. Plants for the treatment of metal and plastic surfaces through electrolytic or chemical processes, if treatment basins used have a volume higher than 30 m³.

3. Mineral products industry.
3.1. Plants for the production of clinker (cement) in rotation ovens having a production capacity higher than 500 tons per day or plants producing burnt lime in rotation ovens having a capacity higher than 50 tons per day or other types of ovens with a production capacity of over 50 tons
3.2. Plants for the production of asbestos and manufacturing of asbestos products.
3.3. Plants for manufacturing glass including those producing glass fibres, having a fusion capacity higher than 20 tons per day.
3.4. Plants for the fusion of mineral substances including those producing mineral fibres having a fusion capacity higher than 20 tons a day.
3.5. Plants for manufacturing ceramic and baked clay products, particularly roofing tiles, bricks, firebricks, floor tiles, stoneware, porcelain products having a production capacity higher than 75 tons per day and/or a furnace capacity higher than 4m³ and a casting density per furnace higher than 300 kg/m³.

4. Chemical industry.
For the categories of activities listed under section 4, production is intended on an industrial scale by means of chemical transformation of substances or groups of substances as per points 4.1 and 4.6.
4.1. Chemical plants for manufacturing basic organic chemical products such as:
a) simple hydrocarbons (linear or annular, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or aromatic);
b) oxygenated hydrocarbons, namely: alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, ethers, ether acetates, peroxides, resins and epoxides;
c) sulphurated hydrocarbons;
d) nitrogenated hydrocarbons, namely: amines, starches, nitrous compounds, nitrics or nitrates, nitriles, cyanates and isocyanates;
e) phosphorous hydrocarbons;
f) halogenated hydrocarbons;
g) organometallic compounds;
h) basic plastic materials (polymers, synthetic fibres, cellulose fibres);
i) synthetic rubbers (1);
j) dyes and pigments (1);
k) surface and surface-active agents.
4.2. Chemical plants for manufacturing basic inorganic chemical products, namely:
a) gasses such as: ammonia, chlorine or hydrogen chloride, fluorine or hydrogen fluoride, carbon oxides, sulphur compounds, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen, sulphur dioxide and carbonyl bichloride;
b) acids such as: chromic acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, oleum and sulphured acids;
c) bases such as: ammonium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide;
d) salts such as: ammonium chloride, potassium chlorate, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, perborate and silver nitrate;
e) metalloids, metallic oxides or other inorganic compounds such as calcium carbide, silicon and silicon carbide.
4.3. Chemical plants for manufacturing phosphorous-based, nitrogen-based or potassium-based fertilizers (simple or compound fertilizers).
4.4. Chemical plants for manufacturing plant protection products and biocides.
4.5. Plants using a chemical or biological process for manufacturing basic pharmaceutical products.
4.6. Chemical plants for manufacturing explosives.
(1) Amendment published on the Official Gazette of European Communities of 30 May, 2002 no. L 140

5. Waste management.
Exception is made for Article 11 of Directive no. 75/442/EEC and Article 3 of Council Directive no. 91/689/EEC of 12 December, 1991 on dangerous waste (1).
5.1. Plants for the elimination or recovery of dangerous waste according to the list indicated under Article 1, paragraph 4, of Directive no. 91/689/EEC as defined in Attachments II A and II B (operations R 1, R 5, R 6, R 8 and R 9) of Council Directive no. 75/442/EEC and in Council Directive no. 75/439/CEE of 16 June, 1975 concerning the elimination of used oils (2) having a capacity higher than 10 tons per day.
5.2. Urban waste incinerators as defined in Council Directive no. 89/369/EEC of 8 June, 1989 concerning prevention of air pollution caused by new urban waste incinerators (3) and Council Directive no. 89/429/EEC of 21 June, 1989 concerning the reduction of air pollution caused by urban waste incinerators (4), with a capacity higher than 3 tons per hour.
5.3. Plants for the elimination or recovery of safe waste as defined in Attachment II A of Directive no. 75/442/EEC under points D 8, D 9 having a capacity higher than 50 tons per day.
5.4. Dumps receiving more than 10 tons a day or having a total capacity higher of over 25,000 tons a day excluding dumps for inert waste.

(1) Official Gazette no. L 377 of 31 December 1991, page 20. Directive amended by Directive no. 94/31/EC (Official Gazette no. L 168 of 2 July 1994, page 28).
(2) Official Gazette no. L 194 of 25 July, 1975 page 23. Directive amended by the last point of Directive no. 91/692/EEC (Official Gazette no. L 377 of 31 December 1991, page 48). (3) Official Gazette no. L 163 of 14 June, 1989, page 32.
(4) Official Gazette no. L 203 of 15 July 1989, pag. 50. Plant raw materials with a finished product production capacity of over 300 tons per day (average quarterly value).

6. Other activities.
6.1. Industrial plants for manufacturing:
a) paper paste starting from wood or from other fibres;
b) paper and cardboard products with a production capacity higher than 20 tons per day; 6.2. Plants for preliminary treatments (washing operations, bleaching, mercerization or painting of fibres or tissues processing over 12 tons per day
6.3. Leather tanning plants having a treatment capacity higher than 12 tons of finished product per day.
6.4. a) Slaughterhouses having a carcass production capacity higher than 50 tons per day;
b) Treatment and processing plants for manufacturing food products starting from: animal raw materials (different from milk) with a finished product production capacity of over 75 tons per day;
c) Plants for the treatment and processing of milk, receiving more than 200 tons per day (average value on an annual basis).
6.5. Plants for the elimination or recovery of animal carcasses and residues having a processing capacity of over 10 tons per day.
6.6. Plants for the intensive breeding of chicken or pigs with a capacity of more than:
a) 40,000 chicken;
b) 2,000 production pigs (of over 30 kg), or
c) 750 sows.
6.7. Plants for the treatment of matter, object or product surfaces using organic solvents, particularly for sizeing, printing, spreading, degerasing, waterproofing, glueing, painting, cleaning or soaking having a solvent consumption capacity higher 150 kg per hour or 200 tons per year.
6.8. Plants for manufacturing carbon (hard coal) or graphite for electric use by means of combustion or graphitization.

At the beginning of the Decree’s Attachment it is specified that: "1. Plants or parts of plants used for research, development and experimentation of new products and processes are not included in this Decree. 2. Limit values reported below generally refer to production capacities or performance. If the same plant manager carries out various activities listed under the same item, either in the same plant or in the same location, the capacities of these activities are added."
In case of doubt in applying the above listed categories and thresholds kindly consult also the Memorandum issued on 13 July, 2004 by the Ministry of Environment and Land Protection entitled: “Memorandum for interpreting integrated pollution prevention and control as per Legislative Decree no. 372 of 4 August, 1999, with particular reference to Attachment I”.