Quick answer
- Law 34/2007 and Royal Decree 100/2011 classify potentially air-polluting activities into groups A, B and C of the CAPCA catalogue.
- Group A and B activities require an authorisation; group C activities require a notification.
- Emission sources (focos emisores) are measured periodically by an accredited control body: as a general rule every 2 years (A), 3 years (B) and 5 years (C), unless the authorisation sets a different frequency.
- In Catalonia, Decree 139/2018 governs the registration and classification of emission sources, the electronic emissions logbook and automatic measurement systems.
Classifying your emission sources correctly is the first step
The CAPCA catalogue of potentially air-polluting activities, set out in the annex to Royal Decree 100/2011, assigns each activity and each emission source to a group according to its polluting potential. That group determines the administrative regime (authorisation for A and B, notification for C), the applicable emission limit values and the frequency of controls.
Classification is the operator's responsibility. At each measurement, the accredited environmental control bodies check that the sources are correctly classified and that the control frequency is being met. A new or modified source that has not been notified is one of the most frequent findings in inspections.
Frequency of controls
If the environmental authorisation lists the sources classified under the current CAPCA, they are measured according to the group they fall into: every two years for group A, every three for group B and every five for group C. If the authorisation does not list them with that classification, the control frequency set in the authorisation itself applies (usually every two years) or, after prior notification, the frequency corresponding to their CAPCA classification.
Medium combustion plants also have their own control regime under Royal Decree 1042/2017, which changed the classification of several combustion activities.
The emissions logbook in Catalonia
Decree 139/2018 updated the registration and classification of emission sources in Catalonia and the rules on automatic measurement systems. The operator must keep an electronic emissions logbook for each source, recording the controls carried out, any incidents and the operating time. Control bodies' reports are sent to the authorities exclusively by electronic means.
For group C establishments, the Catalan Government publishes control programmes setting out the pollutants, emission limit values and measurement frequencies for channelled sources.
What to review in your company
- Inventory of emission sources
Every channelled emission point, with its CAPCA code and group. Include boilers, furnaces, booths, extraction systems and generator sets. - Consistency with the authorisation
The sources on site must match those in the authorisation or notification. Any addition, removal or modification must be notified. - Control schedule
Record the date of the last control of each source and the date of the next one according to its group. - Logbook kept up to date
Controls, incidents and operating hours. It is the first thing the control body asks for.
Not sure whether it affects you?
We classify your emission sources, register them in the electronic emissions logbook and request control quotations from accredited bodies. This is included in our tmi BASIC plan, or we can do it for you as a one-off procedure.