Regulation on the Management of Industrial Emissions has been Published

The Regulation on the Management of Industrial Emissions (“Regulation“), prepared based on Directive No. 2010/75/EU on Industrial Emissions for the purpose of aligning with European Union legislation, was published in the Official Gazette on January 14, 2025, which aims to protect the environment and human health by reducing industrial emissions and waste generation, promoting green transformation, circular economy, and decarbonization.

The Regulation which will come into force on December 1, 2025 covers businesses such as facilities with a rated thermal power of 50 MW or more for power generation, petroleum refining, coke coal production, gasification, liquefaction and pyrolysis, metal production and processing, mineral industry, chemical industry, waste management and facilities engaged in activities using organic solvents. Such facilities shall obtain a certificate showing that they are being operated in accordance with the green transformation process (“SYD”) in the industry (“SYD Certificate”). Accordingly, businesses subject to the Regulation, are obliged to register with the electronic system and update their information on this system by April 1^st each year.

According to the Regulation, the facilities within the scope of the Regulation are obliged to obtain a SYD Certificate for the completion of the environmental permit and license process. SYD Certificates are categorized according to compliance with the production techniques (Best Available Techniques – MET) published by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change (“Ministry“), which are internationally recognized for their technological and economic sustainability in protecting the environment at the highest level. The Ministry is authorized to review the conditions for the SYD Certificate every 5 years and update them if necessary.

Some of the obligations of facilities holding SYD Certificate designated under the Regulation are as follows:

• To operate in accordance with the requirements of the SYD Certificate;
• To inform the Ministry within thirty days in case of renewal of the environmental permit and/or license, and renew the SYD Certificate;
• To record the aggregated annual load data on the release of pollutants to receiving environments such as air, water, and soil, as well as the transportation of pollutants and waste in wastewater, in the electronic database; and
• To comply with the emission levels (MET-IES) and emission limit values (ESD) associated with MET and/or to implement green transformation accordingly.

With the SYD Certificate, businesses will be able to benefit from financial supports such as incentives, grants, and loans according to the relevant legislation.

In case of non-compliance with the SYD Certificate conditions, the businesses shall  immediately inform the Ministry and take necessary measures to ensure compliance. If the non-compliance continues, the certificate may be suspended or revoked.

The Regulation introduces specific provisions for large combustion plants, waste incineration facilities, and facilities using organic solvents.

Facilities that are in operation or in the process of environmental impact assessment application at the time the Regulation enters into force, which is December 1, 2025, are required to submit the necessary information and documents to the Ministry within 90 days after obtaining the environmental permit and/or license.

The targets of the Regulation within the scope of harmonization with the European Union regulations, are to encourage eco-friendly production, along with reducing emissions and waste generation.