The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has urged businesses to comply with air emissions regulations by obtaining licenses for their standby power generators or risk facing penalties.
According to the Environmental Management Act [Chapter 20:27], owners of standby generators with a capacity of 5 KVA and above are required to obtain an emissions license.
In a press statement, EMA Harare Provincial Manager Leon Mutungamiri said that generators emitting pollutants must be licensed in accordance with the Act to ensure compliance with air quality regulations.
“Standby power generators are among the various trade facilities that emit air pollutants through exhaust fumes resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels in internal engines,” he explained.
“As such, like all other air-emitting appliances, standby generators must comply with the air emissions licensing provisions outlined in the Environmental Management Act [Chapter 20:27], read together with Statutory Instrument 72 of 2009, Atmospheric Pollution Control.”
Mutungamiri added that non-compliance tickets are being issued to operators running unlicensed generators.
“Monitoring for compliance with these regulations is being carried out extensively across Harare Metropolitan Province,” he said.
“A standby power generator with a power rating above 5 5KVA requires an emissions license issued by the Environmental Management Agency, with the exception of household use.”
The statement advises businesses to visit EMA offices to obtain the necessary permits and avoid penalties.
“All premises operating generators with a capacity exceeding 5 KVA, excluding households, must acquire an emissions license from the Environmental Management Agency,” he said.
The Environmental Management Act states, “No owner or operator of a trade or any establishment shall emit a substance or energy that causes or is likely to cause air pollution without an emission license issued by the Agency.”
Businesses operating generators without a license will be penalised, and all entities within the Harare Metropolitan Province are encouraged to comply to avoid fines.
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