Do you need a permit or authorisation to produce biofuel?
Find out, in this page, if you need any permits, licences or authorisations to produce biofuels and carry out activities associated with this.
If you want to produce biofuel for commercial or personal use, you may need a pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit, waste management licence or, in Scotland, to register an exemption. This will depend on how much biofuel you want to make and the method you use.
Check if you need a permit or licence
In Northern Ireland
If you produce biodiesel or bioethanol by chemical means from waste or virgin vegetable oils you will require:
- a PPC permit if you make more than 5,000 litres per year
- a waste management licence if you make less than 5,000 litres per year.
If you produce biodiesel by physical means you will require a waste management licence, if you make more than 100 litres per batch, for business or personal use.
In Scotland
If you produce biodiesel or bioethanol by chemical means from waste or virgin vegetable oils, you will normally require a PPC permit.
If you produce biodiesel by physical means from waste cooking oil, you may need a waste management licence or to register an exemption.
You will need a permit or licence if you produce:
- more than 200 tonnes of biodiesel per year
- biodiesel for commercial use.
Anaerobic digestion of waste
If you produce biogas from the anaerobic digestion of waste you must also have a PPC permit or waste management licence.
Animal by-products requirements
If you produce biodiesel from waste edible fats and oils of animal origin that are not catering waste, you will also be subject to any relevant controls under animal by-product legislation.
For example, if you produce biodiesel using cooking oil from a food manufacturer or fat from animal by-products, your treatment operations will need approval from:
- In Northern Ireland, the Divisional Veterinary Office
- In Scotland, the Animal and Plant Health Agency
In Northern Ireland, see
In Scotland, see
Check if your activities are low impact
If you produce biodiesel by chemical means and need a PPC permit, your activity may be considered to be low impact. If you meet the criteria set out in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) guidance you may be eligible for a low impact installation (LII) permit. The fees and charges you pay will be less, to reflect the lower environmental impact.
For guidance on whether an installation can be classified as low impact:
- In Northern Ireland contact the NIEA Industrial Pollution and Radiochemical Inspectorate Helpline on Tel 028 9056 9296 or email them at ipri@daera-ni.gov.uk
- In Scotland contact SEPA.
In Scotland, check if you need to register an exemption to make biodiesel
You must register an exemption from waste management licensing for certain activities. If you have an exemption you must comply with its conditions.
If you treat waste vegetable oil from catering and cooking by physical means to make biodiesel, you will need to register for a paragraph 5 exemption.
If you would like to make more biodiesel than this exemption will allow, you may need a waste management licence. See: SEPA: Guidance for Small Scale Biodiesel Manufacture
Follow rules to store waste cooking oil
If you use waste cooking oil to produce biofuel, you may need a waste management licence to store waste cooking oil.
If you store more than 1,000 litres of waste cooking oil at any one time you will need a licence.
You must always store your used cooking oil within a suitable secondary containment system, for example a bund.
Follow rules for collecting waste vegetable oil
If you collect and transport waste vegetable oil (for example used cooking oil) for the production of biodiesel, then you will need to be a registered waste carrier and follow your duty of care for waste.
Where applicable comply with UK REACH regulations and with EU REACH regulations
If you are based in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and you use, manufacture or supply chemicals in Great Britain, or you import them into Great Britain, you must comply with the UK REACH regulations.
If you are based in Northern Ireland and you use, manufacture or supply chemicals in Northern Ireland, or you import chemicals into Northern Ireland from countries outside the European Union, you must comply with the EU REACH regulations.
UK REACH regulations and EU REACH regulations apply to individual chemicals on their own, in mixtures and in articles. This includes biofuels.
- Health and Safety Executive: EU and UK REACH
- Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland: REACH and biodiesel
See our guide Registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH)