Compliance with Regulations in Biogas Plant Construction

The author of the diploma thesis found that directives, regulations and laws are very precisely defined. They are continuously verified by supervisory bodies and local designers, and finally, during the technical inspection, they are also submitted and reviewed once again by the responsible inspector. The equipment supplier guarantees, to a certain percentage, for a specified period with a bank guarantee, for properly executed works. During the technical inspection, assertion 4 is confirmed. The biogas plant is physically inspected in its entirety and all documentation is verified.

Problem

The author of the diploma thesis found that directives, regulations and laws are very precisely defined. They are continuously verified by supervisory bodies and local designers, and finally, during the technical inspection, they are also submitted and reviewed once again by the responsible inspector. He found that during the technical inspection, most attention was paid to safety at the facility, the main gas and electrical components (cogeneration, gas compressor, gas storage tanks, mixers, pumps).

The electrical inspection and synchronisation to the electricity grid by Elektro was carried out before the technical inspection and is also a prerequisite for it. An untranslated certificate, an outdated directive, or non-compliance with regulations can lead to a repeated technical inspection. Only after the technical inspection has been completed is an operating permit obtained, which is a prerequisite for selling electricity at a subsidised price by the state.

Biogas plants are constructed with quality, according to all regulations, directives and laws. **The set objectives were achieved: ** – they analysed the assumptions and possible limitations throughout the process of designing, constructing and final commissioning of the biogas plant and found that most limitations are in obtaining the building permit and other permits, **– they presented the biogas plant and described its main components, ** – they described the entire procedure or steps required from the conceptual design, construction, all the way to the operating permit, – they proposed measures for ongoing verification of regulations, – as equipment suppliers, they ensured that all current regulations are used, especially regarding environmental impacts and safety.

They confirmed assertions 1 and 2, that manufacturers do not verify all regulations and certificates. Quite a few were outdated, yet manufacturers continue to use them. The service conducting the technical inspection cannot review and verify absolutely all certificates and directives; local designers and we as equipment suppliers also did not thoroughly review and verify all documentation, which is why it turned out that not all certificates were translated into Slovene and that some cited directives were outdated.

As an equipment supplier, everything was verified on their website http://www.sist.si/ Slovenian Institute for Standardisation, and the manufacturer was required to replace the documentation or provide valid documentation. In future, it is necessary to request all documentation in Slovene immediately upon ordering components and, upon delivery, to verify whether all accompanying documentation is included and whether all cited directives are still valid or not. The equipment supplier and local designers are responsible for ensuring that all regulations are complied with through their bank guarantees and declarations of conformity.

Local designers must have a licence to practise.

Solution and Method

The equipment supplier guarantees, to a certain percentage, for a specified period with a bank guarantee, for properly executed works. Assertion 3 is also confirmed.

Results

During the technical inspection, assertion 4 is confirmed. The biogas plant is physically inspected in its entirety and all documentation is verified. Most attention is paid to all electrical components and the connection to the electricity grid (engine generator, transformer and connection to high voltage) and the gas connection (gas storage tanks, gas compressor, gas flare, etc.).

Assertion 5 is also confirmed, which states that in 90% of cases, financing is obtained by companies that do not have sufficient raw materials or land for their production, but are financially stable. Of the last ten biogas plants constructed, only one is owned by a farmer who has sufficient input raw materials, whilst the other nine are owned by large companies that have long-term contracts with farmers for the purchase of raw materials, but usually do not even have basic land for the construction of a biogas plant. I would suggest that an environmental impact study or at least an environmental impact assessment be carried out for each biogas plant.

We know that these are not required in Slovenia for biogas plants up to 1 MWel. His opinion is that someone can only build a biogas plant if they have fully secured raw materials. They must also have sufficient land so that, after fermentation is complete, within the legally prescribed time, they can distribute the final substrate across their fields in compliance with the nitrates directive, which states that 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare per year can be applied. Biogas plants are an environmentally friendly way of obtaining electricity and heat from renewable sources.