Transportable Pressure Equipment (UK)

UPDATE : recognition of EU Pi-marked TPE will end on 1st Jan 2023.

I posted earlier that the government started a consultation on ending the circulation (in Britain) of EU Pi-marked Transportable Pressure Equipment (TPE) post Brexit. This consultation concluded and the government response is here.

The government response states the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 (as amended) will be further amended to end recognition of EU Pi-marked TPE. The purpose of the consultation was to establish whether this amendment should come into force by 1 January 2022 or by 1 January 2023. But there is no consensus on the date, and the government response gives no date.

Answering questions raised, the government response states –

* UK Rho conformity marking was introduced in the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (amending the 2009 Regulations). Until the regulations are further amended Rho marking remains optional. When the amendment is made, the government response states TPE placed on the market in Britain must be Rho-marked by a GB-appointed body or Pi-marked by a Northern Ireland notified body and accompanied by the UK(NI) indication.

* Under the existing 2009 regulations, TPE can be carried between Great Britain and an EU member state as long as it complies with ADR/RID, even if it is not Rho-marked. Similarly, the European Dangerous Goods Directive 2008/68/EC and the European Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive 2010/35/EU permit the carriage of TPE between a member state and a non-EU country if it complies with ADR/RID, even if it is not Pi-marked.

* Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, Northern Ireland follows the requirements of the European Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive 2010/35/EU (the TPED). EU Pi-marked TPE is accepted in both Northern Ireland and the European Union, so a further conformity assessment would not be necessary to access the market in Northern Ireland. To access both the GB and EU/NI markets the government response states dual conformity assessments would be required.

* There are no plans to amend the regulations for smaller items of TPE. Under the already amended regulations, the minimum height of the Rho marking is reduced to 2.5 millimetres for smaller cylinders with a diameter less than or equal to 140 millimetres.

* As Northern Ireland continues to follow the requirements of TPED, TPE being placed on the market must be Pi-marked by a notified body established in the EU or Northern Ireland and Rho marked TPE will not be accepted onto the NI market. Periodic inspections of Pi-marked TPE also need to be compliant with TPED in NI and conducted by EU notified bodies.

* Periodic inspections of Rho-marked TPE will need to be undertaken by a GB-appointed body. As Britain is continuing to accept TPE which has been conformity assessed by bodies established in Northern Ireland, such bodies will be able to undertake periodic inspections on TPE accepted onto the GB market. The government response states multiple conformity marks are permitted.

The (2009 Regulations) law supplied in Cardinal Environment EHS Legislation Registers and Checklists already has the 2020 amendment included.

Live Animal Exports Ban (Britain)

Being able to ban live animal exports is considered a Brexit win (although note EU Animal Health rules also moved on since 31st Dec 2020). Animal welfare is a devolved policy area. The UK and Welsh governments consulted on the matter, and the Scottish government consulted separately. The UK and Welsh governments now publish their consultation response, and this is in line with proposals by the Scottish government – here.

The proposals will not apply to journeys under 65km. The proposals are –

* A ban on the export of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats and pigs) and horses from England, Wales and Scotland for slaughter and fattening. Exports for slaughter and fattening from England, Wales and Scotland will be prohibited whether the animals originate from or are travelling through England, Wales and Scotland.

The ban will apply to all exports of livestock and horses where an animal is exported to the place of destination in order to be fattened for subsequent slaughter.

The ban will be achieved via the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Clause 42) – here.

The proposals also cover maximum journey times, temperature and comfort during travel and other matters. These proposals could be achieved via Statutory Instruments or guidance, or both.

Hydrogen Strategy (UK)

UPDATE (18th August) : the 121 page UK Hydrogen Strategy is here.

Four consultations are started –

(1) the business model – here,

(2) a NetZero Fund – here,

(3) a UK low carbon hydrogen standard – here,

(4) facilitating a grid conversion hydrogen heating trial – here.

The current intention is that low carbon hydrogen producers seeking government support, through a Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, and/or the Hydrogen Business Model would be required to comply with a UK low carbon hydrogen standard in order to secure support.

The standard could also be developed into a certification scheme.

The design elements of a UK low carbon hydrogen standard are expected to be finalised by early 2022, while work continues on delivery and administration considerations.

The approach in the UK will involve a mix of hydrogen production methods, including large scale gas reforming with carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) (blue hydrogen with CCUS) and electrolytic hydrogen from low carbon electricity (green hydrogen).

Note the following are out of scope for the purpose of developing a UK low carbon hydrogen standard (and are addressed by separate BEIS work streams that are not yet reporting) –

* End use safety / quality standards e.g., regulations for use of hydrogen in transport, or regulations on hydrogen boilers,

* Gas Safety (Management) Regulations and entry standards for blending hydrogen into the gas grid,

* Standards for other (non-hydrogen) decarbonised gases,

* Wider environmental standards and regulations (e.g., water consumption, air quality) although later work on these areas is not excluded. Hydrogen producers will, in any event, need to comply with current and future regulations on air pollutants including nitrogen oxides (NOx),

* Gas quality – e.g., the Wobbe Index.

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The UK government issued this morning a press release – here – signalling its published Hydrogen Strategy which it is consulting on – but (once again as is typical of these press releases) the strategy document itself is not published (even though the press release is written using the past tense that the document is already in the public domain) nor the consultation questions.

I will update this post on the blog itself (that won’t be a second email notification, so check the blog post) when the strategy document is finally available, with a link to that document, and some comments on its content.

Here is the link to government consultations.

Here is the New Scientist take on the strategy – its link to the strategy itself sends to a 404 page not found.

UKCA and UKNI marks (UK)

The European CE mark is being phased out in the UK. Various deadlines apply to the situation where no CE marked good may be imported into the UK market unless it has been re-marked as UKCA.

A special situation exists in Northern Ireland – the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol allows European CE marking to continue to be used in Northern Ireland. The alternative UK mark to be used in Northern Ireland is UKNI, not UKCA.

A vast number of CE marked goods are in regular use in the UK. All businesses and individuals operating in the UK must assess their future requirements for CE marked goods and take steps to ensure their timely delivery before deadlines kick in.

Please check with suppliers and BEIS (the government department) on the current availability of already imported CE marked goods, and the deadline for a particular CE marked good.

Not all local assessment processes are set up, and deadlines may change. Further information is likely – please pay close attention to Email Alerts and Blog posts in the autumn.

[Not all European goods use the CE mark, I posted earlier about consultation underway on the timings for the phaseout of European marked Transportable Pressure Equipment – TPE – European sourced TPE has a different European mark]