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Home Best Available Techniques About Best Available Techniques (BAT)

The implementation of Best Available Techniques (BAT) in the operation of both large industrial and agricultural installations is one of the most significant tools in the protection of the environment as a whole and forms the most important part of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control process (IPPC).

Best Available Techniques represent the most advanced stage in the development of technologies employed and their methods of operation, which can be implemented in the relevant industry under conditions that are economically, as well as technically acceptable, and which provide the most effective protection of the environment as a whole. It is defined by Act No. 435/2006 Coll., the complete wording of Act No. 76/2002 Coll., on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control.

The evaluation and determination of Best Available Techniques is primarily based on the technical level of the installations, especially from the viewpoint of achieved emission levels and the amount of waste produced, material and energy intensity, the tools and procedures for environmental management (EMAS, ISO 14001, the principles of Good Agricultural Practice etc.), as well as the economic likelihood that the operator of the installations will meet regional environmental standards. The important base information which must be taken into consideration in the decision making process include emission reduction plans, waste management plans, operational conditions based on EIA documentation and standpoint, and inclusion of an area into the Natura 2000 system etc.

Collected data are subsequently compared with defined Best Available Techniques – BAT. These are incorporated into the European reference documents - BREFs (Reference Document on Best Available Techniques), which are produced and issued for the given areas by specialised institutions of the European Commission, in which all member states are represented on the basis of exchange of information produced by their respective national Technical Working Groups (TWG). The texts of all these documents are available at the IPPC portal.