Environmental Impact Assessment EIA

Technical Documentation – the Enviromental Impact Assessment EIA

Do you need an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for your next plant project? And who actually decides whether an EIA is required or not?

An EIA is a legally regulated assessment procedure. Before certain projects can be approved, it must be clear what impacts they will have on the environment and on people. The basis is EU legislation and the German Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the UVPG. The party responsible is always the project developer or operator. This can be the operator of a new production site, a process plant, a power plant or a large waste treatment facility.

For manufacturers of machinery and plant, the EIA is still highly relevant. They provide the technical data that is needed in the EIA. If they act as general contractors, clients and authorities often expect them to actively participate in the preparation of the documentation or to prepare it in its entirety as part of the contract. Those who are well prepared can guide projects more smoothly through the approval process.

An EIA first describes the planned project. This includes the site, the design, the mode of operation and the materials and media used. Then it describes the current state of the environment around the project. After that, it identifies, describes and evaluates the expected effects on people, nature, soil, water, air, climate, landscape and also on cultural heritage and material assets. It also sets out the measures planned to avoid or reduce negative impacts and it looks at realistic alternatives, for example other technical solutions. At the end, there is a clear, non technical summary for the public.

The challenge is to structure complex technical content so that it meets legal requirements and is understandable for both authorities and the public. This is exactly where Codronic comes in. Our specialists speak the language of design and process engineering and also understand the requirements of the UVPG. We help you to collect the necessary data from machinery and plant in a systematic way, to build the content of an EIA on a solid technical basis and to formulate it clearly.

What has been your experience with EIA procedures in your projects? Are you more often on the operator side or involved as a supplier of technical plant?