Current situation
In the field of ambient air, holding an environmental permit often comes with several reporting obligations that the permit holder must fulfill on behalf of the state. The volume of data submitted through these reports is often very large, and the data is typically submitted manually and redundantly.
In a broader sense, the environmental permit holder's reporting on air pollution involves the following documents and reports that the business must submit to the state:
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Preparation and submission of the annual report on air pollution for the environmental permit holder.
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Preparation and submission of the environmental fee declaration.
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Monitoring reports (both spot and continuous air quality monitoring).
About the project
The project investigating the implementation possibilities of data-based air quality reporting officially began under the Ministry of Climate's jurisdiction on January 1, 2023, and is initially set to run until the end of 2024. The project focuses primarily on analyzing the possibilities of automating air quality reporting related to district heating, including monitoring reports. However, the solution should be applicable to other sectors as well.
Reporting obligations related to fuels used in combustion units of district heating companies
In January 2024, the Ministry of Climate partnered with Trinidad Wiseman OÜ to analyze and develop alternative solutions that would allow district heating companies to transition to data-based reporting for fuels used in combustion units. This will include identifying the technological innovations and regulatory changes needed to achieve this. The analysis was completed by the end of May 2024.
The aim of the analysis was to develop fundamental solutions that would allow district heating companies using combustion units regulated by permits for heat and/or electricity generation to transition to data-based reporting. Additionally, the analysis aimed to identify the technological innovations and regulatory changes required for this transition. This includes tracing the movement of information related to fuels, starting from the delivery of fuels, passing through district heating companies, and reaching relevant authorities.
The broader goal of transitioning to data-based reporting is to reduce manual work involved in submitting reports and also explore ways to eliminate the repetitive submission of the same data in various reports. For district heating companies, this would mean less manual work, fewer errors, and corrections in submitted data. Overall, this would save time and eliminate some separate reporting tasks. Taking into account the companies' expectations, needs, and desires, we hope to develop solutions that consider these factors without causing additional obligations for companies.
Reports related to occasional and continuous monitoring measurements
In addition, we have specifically focused on the reporting of occasional and continuous monitoring measurements. Starting in 2025, all existing combustion units with a nominal thermal capacity of 5 MWth to 50 MWth will be required to conduct measurements every one to three years to assess compliance with emission limit values or perform continuous monitoring. Starting in 2030, combustion units with a nominal thermal capacity of 1 MWth to 5 MWth will be subject to the same requirements. This means that the monitoring obligation for operators of combustion units will increase significantly, and new solutions need to be developed to facilitate the quicker and more efficient transmission of self-monitoring data between data generators and data users.
To develop solutions, we first commissioned a current situation assessment of the impact of air quality monitoring, which was carried out by the Estonian Environmental Research Centre OÜ in the spring of 2023.
If you need additional information or have any questions, please contact the project manager for data-based air quality reporting.
Results
- Business and preliminary analysis
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In the project "Data-based reporting in the air quality sector: business and preliminary analysis," the current situation of reports containing data on fuels used by district heating companies was mapped, and a future solution was designed.
The mapping of the current situation was conducted through document analysis and interviews with selected district heating companies, fuel suppliers, and government authorities.
- Current situation mapping of ambient air monitoring reporting"
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The work focused on mapping the current situation of monitoring reporting for ambient air, specifically for both intermittent and continuous emissions monitoring from emission sources, operators of medium-sized combustion plants, and the state perspective.
To gain an overview, interviews were conducted with stakeholders involved in monitoring reporting. As a result, suggestions were gathered for reorganizing national reporting and developing new data management methods.