Pollution prevention and generator fuel storage

The law

  • In England and Wales, it is against the law to cause water pollution and there are specific regulations that may apply to your oil storage tank.
  • In Scotland, the storage of oil is regulated by the Water Environment (Oil Storage) (Scotland) Regulations 2006, (OSR Scotland). Where oil storage results in pollution of the water environment, this may constitute an offence under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005, as amended.
  • Non-compliance with these regulations may result in enforcement action being taken against you.
  • The Environment Agency is responsible for enforcing these regulations throughout England and may serve an Anti-Pollution Works Notice requiring inadequate facilities to be brought up to standard.

What it applies to

  • These regulations apply to any kind of oil including petrol, diesel, mineral oil, heating oil, lubricating oil, waste oil, vegetable and plant oil but don’t include uncut bitumen
  • They apply to the storage of any volume of oil, with more prescriptive requirements applying to industrial, commercial and institutional sites storing oil in containers of 200 litres and over and to private dwellings with containers storing more than 2,500 litres of oil.

Click here to download a full copy of the guidelines

What you need to do

  • When siting your storage tank avoid high-risk locations such as those close to watercourses or those where the tank could be subject to impact or collision

Choose a tank that is:

  • Of sufficient strength and structural integrity to ensure that it won’t burst or leak in ordinary use
  • Single skinned tanks must be put into a secondary containment system or ‘bund’ which can hold 110% of the volume of the oil the tank is designed to contain.
  • For the greatest level  of protection install a double skinned or ‘integrally bunded’ oil tank which has a secondary containment system ‘built-in’

How we can help

UPS Systems has access to the widest selection of bunded and double skinned generator fuel storage tanks and generators available and can help provide expert advice and guidance on the best fuel storage solution for your business.

For more information on protecting your fuel storage system and preventing pollution risks contact us

 

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