Do you need an authorisation to produce biofuel?
Find out, in this page, if you need an authorisation 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, in Northern Ireland
- an EASR authorisation, in Scotland
Check if you need an authorisation
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.
Do you need a permit or licence to produce biofuel? | nibusinessinfo.co.uk
In Scotland, if you produce biodiesel or bioethanol by chemical or physical means from waste or virgin vegetable oils, you will need an EASR registration or permit.
SEPA: Storage and treatment of cooking oil less than or equal to 25m³
Anaerobic digestion of waste
If you burn biogas you must have an authorisation.
In Northern Ireland, you will need a:
- waste management licence or exemption for an appliance with a rated thermal input of less than 1MW
- a pollution prevention and control permit for new appliances with a rated thermal input of 1 MW or more. Plants with a thermal input rating of between 1 MW and 20 MW that were put into operation before 20 December 2018 will need a PPC permit by 1 January 2024 or 1 January 2029 depending on the size of the plant.
Pollution prevention and control permits
In Scotland, you may need an EASR authorisation. This will be either an:
- EASR registration, for one or more electricity generators with a combined thermal input of more than 1 MW (from 1 January 2029)
- EASR permit, for operating a medium combustion plant with a rated thermal input equal to or more than 1 MW and less than 50 MW, or for the combustion of fuels in installations with a total rated thermal input of 50 MW or more
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 DAERA Divisional Veterinary Offices | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)
- In Scotland, the Animal and Plant Health Agency
In Northern Ireland, see
In Scotland, see
Check if your activities are low impact in Northern Ireland
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) 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
Follow rules to store waste cooking oil in Northern Ireland
If you use waste cooking oil to produce biofuel, you may need a waste management licence to store waste cooking oil, in Northern Ireland.
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)