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IED baseline reports and report for site closure

The Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) stipulates the obligation for operators of IED plants to prepare a "baseline report" (BR).

Aerial photo of an industrial site

When an industrial plant is to terminate operation, operators of IED plants must, in certain cases, return their plant site to its original condition. As a basis and reference, a baseline report has to be compiled. If the plant is to be shut down, a site closure (SR) report will be required to terminate operation. WESSLING prepares both these reports for you.

What are baseline and site closure reports and when will you need them?

A baseline report is obligatory as part of the approval procedures for new IED plants or their modification. Before the plant is put into operation, the condition of the soil and groundwater on the site must be documented in the baseline report, with regard to the relevant hazardous substances that will be used, produced and released on the plant site in the future. The report serves as evidence and comparison standard in the event of site closure to conduct the obligatory remediation measures. If significant soil and groundwater contamination by relevant hazardous substances is later detected during site closure, these substances must be remediated under certain conditions. The site closure report is required to determinate these substances.

WESSLING expertise concerning all aspects of your baseline report

WESSLING has been concerned with the requirements of the IED since its publication and knows the baseline report (BR) and shutdown report (SR) inside out. WESSLING has already produced over 200 reports nationwide. As a result, we are familiar with the various industrial sectors and different requirements of the federal states.

How to avoid delays and red tape during the approval process

To avoid delays in approval procedures, we recommend you prepare the baseline report at an early stage. Our many years of experience have shown that apart from obligatory soil and waste analyses, supplementary analyses are often required.

Your advantage: Our efficient authority management.  

If you need to have a baseline report prepared, we involve the appropriate authorities in the process from the beginning and manage communication between the various parties involved. If the preliminary analyses show that a BR is required for your plant, WESSLING will draft up a comprehensive concept individually tailored to your plant site, the planned processes and the materials and substances to be used in the future.

After a final agreement with the authorities, we carry out the required soil and groundwater analyses, and the initial condition of the site is thus documented. The baseline report serves as a comparative standard for remediation and is thus a basis for a site closure report.

Hazard prevention in accordance with the German Federal Soil Protection Act (BBodSchG)

In certain cases, the responsible federal state or public authorities may allow the baseline report to be submitted up until the beginning of the plant construction or commissioning process. If there are pre-existing contaminants on the site intended for the new plant, hazard prevention measures may need to be taken in accordance with the German Federal Soil Protection Act (BBodSchG) before the plant is erected or modified.

Our services under the IED:

  • Preliminary BR review
  • Classification of the plant
  • Delineation of the site boundaries
  • Description and assessment of relevant hazardous substances
  • Consideration of plants dealing with water-hazardous substances 
  • Evaluation of available documents (including usage history)
  • Checking the need for new measurements
  • Deriving an investigation plan, including chemical analysis parameters
  • Coordination with public authorities

Additional services

  • Conduction of required soil and groundwater tests (sampling and analysis)
  • Preparation of the baseline report (BR)
  • Conduction of periodic monitoring tests
  • Preparation of the shutdown report (SR)
  • Assessment of the significance of soil and groundwater contamination

Your contact regarding the baseline report (BR)

We will be happy to support you.

Christoph Wortmann

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