Operating review: anticipating site restoration (part 5)

As part of your operating review, you are asked to consider the measures you would take if your facilities were shut down permanently. Regulations provide for this to ensure application of the "polluter pays" principle, whereby the costs of pollution prevention, reduction and control measures must be borne by the polluter.

What measures should be considered in this context?

This involves defining the measures envisaged by the operator in the event of permanent shutdown of the site, to avoid any risk of pollution and to return the site to a condition in which it cannot generate pollution.

Article R. 512-74 of Code de l’environnement stipulates: "(...) The operator must place the site of the facility in such a condition that it cannot adversely affect the interests mentioned in Article L. 511-1 and that it allows future use of the site determined in accordance with the provisions of Articles R. 512-75 and R. 512-76."