The EU BAT-Reference Document on Large Combustion Plants: Georgios Chronopoulos

Explore how Best Available Techniques (BAT) are being used to prevent and control industrial emissions in the thermal power, iron and steel sectors. Drawing on cross-country analyses from the OECD reports: Activity 6: Cross-Country analysis of selected sectors for comparison and Activity 7: Cross-Country Analysis of selected BREFs for Iron-Steel, Paper-Pulp and Waste incineration sectors, the webinar highlighted key environmental challenges, common emission control techniques, and opportunities for greater harmonisation of BAT approaches across countries and industries.

1. 1
OECD Webinar “Best Available Techniques (BAT) for Industrial Emission Prevention and
Control: Insights from Thermal Power Plants & Iron and Steel Sectors”
13 June 2025
Georgios Chronopoulos
EuropeanBureau for Researchon Industrial Transformationand Emissions(EU-BRITE)
Joint ResearchCentre –EuropeanCommission
The EU BREF on Large Combustion Plants
(LCP BREF - August 2017)

2. 2
Overview
Overview of LCP (TPP) and their
environmental impact
KEIs covered in the OECD report –
Identified BAT and associated
ranges
Emissions to air from coal- and gas-fired
installations, CO
2 emissions

3. 3
Overview of Large Combustion Plants and their environmental impact (1/3)
-4047 LCP (2022 data) covered by the scope of the IED with significant variance in size
(from 50 MW
th to >2000 MW
th), 21% of LCP account for 70% of installed capacity
-Responsible for almost 40% of the EU’s electricity production capacity (2022)

4. 4
Overview of Large Combustion Plants and their environmental impact (2/3)
-Drastic reduction of emissions (SO
2 and dust by 92%, NO
X by 70%)
Emissions of dust,
nitrogen oxides and
sulphur dioxide from
large combustion
plants in the EU-27
Source: EEA, Emissions
and energy use in large
combustion plants in
Europe, 2024

5. 5
Overview of Large Combustion Plants and their environmental impact (3/3)
-Key role of the fuel mix
Fuel consumption in
the EU-27, per fuel type
Source: EEA, Emissions
and energy use in large
combustion plants in
Europe, 2024

6. 6
KEIs covered in the OECD Activity 6 report
-Emissions to air – PM – coal-fired plants
BAT-AEL range
(new plants)
(yearly average)
BAT-AEL range
(existing plants)
(yearly average)
Remarks
2 – 5
mg/Nm
3
all sizes
2 – 18
mg/Nm
3
(various ranges for
different
size plants)
•Larger existing plants lower ranges, e.g. 2 – 10 > 600 MW
•Daily average ranges set according to plant size within overall
range of 4 – 22 mg/Nm
3
•Up to 14 - 28 mg/Nm
3
yearly average for plants operating before
7 Jan 2014 (size-dependent)
Identified BAT:
-ESP
-Bag filter
-Boiler sorbent injection (in furnace or in-bed)
-Dry or semi-dry FGD
-Wet flue-gas desulphurisation (wet FGD)
All values are presented under standard conditions: dry gas at a temperature of 273.15 K, and a pressure of 101.3 kPa
and a reference oxygen level of 6 vol.% O
2.

7. 7
KEIs covered in the OECD Activity 6 report (1/5)
-Emissions to air – SO
2 – coal-fired plants
BAT-AEL range
(new plants)
(yearly average)
BAT-AEL range
(existing plants)
(yearly average)
Remarks
(50 – 100 MW):
150 - 200 mg/Nm
3
(50 – 100 MW):
100 – 360 mg/Nm
3 Daily average AEL ranges also specified.
Some higher AELs also noted for plants with lower
operating hours (max 500h or 1500h), in operation
before 2014 and for fluidised bed combustion
(FBC).
(100 – 300 MW):
80 – 150 mg/Nm
3
(100 – 300 MW):
80 – 150 mg/Nm
3
>300 MW:
10 – 75 mg/Nm
3
>300 MW:
10 – 130 mg/Nm
3
Identified BAT:
-Boiler sorbent injection (in-furnace or in-bed) – Duct sorbent injection (DSI)
-Spray dry absorber (DSA) / Circulating fluidised bed (CFB) dry scrubber
-Wet scrubbing / Wet flue-gas desulphurization (wet FGD) / Seawater FGD
-DeSONOx
-…

8. 8
KEIs covered in the OECD Activity 6 report (2/5)
-Emissions to air – NO
X – coal-fired plants
BAT-AEL range
(new plants)
(yearly average)
BAT-AEL range
(existing plants)
(yearly average)
Remarks
(50 – 100 MW):
100 - 150 mg/Nm
3
(50 – 100 MW):
100 – 270 mg/Nm
3
Daily average AEL ranges also specified.
Some higher AELs also noted for plants with
certain lower operating hours, in operation
before 2014 and for certain fuel and technology
variants e.g. lignite, coal, FBC, PC, SCR, SNCR
use
(100 – 300 MW):
50 – 100 mg/Nm
3
(100 – 300 MW):
100 – 180 mg/Nm
3
>300 MW:
65 – 85 mg/Nm
3
>300 MW:
65 – 150 mg/Nm
3
Identified BAT:
-Combustion optimisation
-Primary NOx reduction techniques (air/fuel staging, flue-gas recirculation, low-Nox burners
-SNCR/SCR
-Activated carbon, DeSONOx

9. 9
KEIs covered in the OECD Activity 6 report (3/5)
-Emissions to air – Hg – coal-fired plants
BAT-AEL range (new plants)
(yearly average)
BAT-AEL range (existing plants)
(yearly average)
Remarks
(<300 MW): Coal: 1–3μg/Nm
3
(<300 MW): Coal: 1–9 μg/Nm
3
Existing plants
are pre-2014
(<300 MW): Lignite: 1 – 5 μg/Nm
3
(<300 MW): Lignite: 1 – 10 μg/Nm
3
>300 MW: Coal: 1 – 2 μg/Nm
3
>300 MW: Coal: 1 – 4 μg/Nm
3
>300 MW: Lignite: 1 – 4 μg/Nm
3
>300 MW: Lignite: 1 – 7 μg/Nm
3
Identified BAT:
Co-benefit from general techniques
-ESP
-Bag filter
-Boiler sorbent injection (in furnace or in-
bed)
-Dry or semi-dry FGD
-Wet flue-gas desulphurization (wet FGD)
Specific techniques for Hg
-Carbon sorbent injection in the flue-gas
-Halogenated additives in fuel or injected
in the furnace
-Fuel pretreatment
-Fuel choice

10. 10
KEIs covered in the OECD Activity 6 report (4/5)
-Emissions to air – NO
X – NG-fired plants
BAT-AEL range (new plants)
(yearly average)
BAT-AEL range (existing plants)
(yearly average)
Remarks
NG turbine: 10 - 30 mg/Nm
3
NG turbine:
<600 MW: 10 – 45 (50) mg/Nm
3
>600 MW: 10 – 40 (50) mg/Nm
3
Daily average AEL ranges
also specified.
Other AEL variations for low
operating hours, OCGT /
CCGT, fuel and technology
variants
NG boiler: 10 – 60 mg/Nm
3
NG boiler: 50 – 100 mg/Nm
3
NG engine: 20 – 75 mg/Nm
3
NG engine: 20 – 100 mg/Nm
3
Identified BAT:
-Primary NOx reduction techniques (air/fuel staging, flue-gas recirculation, low-NOx burners
-SNCR/SCR
-Reduction of the combustion air temperature

11. 11
KEIs covered in the OECD Activity 6 report (5/5)
-Emissions to air – GHG emissions - decarbonisation
CO
2 capture processes:
-Chapter 11 of the EU LCP BREF
-Post-combustion CO
2 capture processes (amine process, chilled ammonia process,
biocatalysis techniques to remove CO
2 from flue-gases)
-Oxyfuel combustion and CO
2 capture
-Carbon capture readiness

12. 12
Thank you
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EU LCP BREF available in:
https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2019-11/JRC_107769_LCPBref_2017.pdf