What is an environmental decision and when is it required?

For the protection of the interests of society and the state, human health and the environment, an environmental decision is required for carrying out an activity on the territory of Georgia. Before it is issued, the environmental impact assessment procedure is carried out in accordance with the Environmental Assessment Code.

How and how often are permissible emission limit norms set?

The norms are developed for each concrete source of pollution, taking into account its technological features and background pollution, and are determined once every five years by a regulation developed and approved by the ministry.

Who issues the greenhouse gas emission authorization and for what term?

Except for aviation activities, the authorization is issued by the National Environment Agency; for aviation activities, by the Civil Aviation Agency. It is issued for an unlimited term but becomes invalid if the activity is not started within 5 years or is suspended for 2 calendar years without substantiated repair or renovation works.

When must the annual greenhouse gas report be submitted?

The report is submitted to the issuing authority annually, no later than 31 March of the relevant year, and must be verified by a verifier. The verified report is published on the environmental information portal.

Emission Permits in Tbilisi, Georgia

The Legal Framework of Emission Permits

The emission of harmful substances into the environment in Georgia is regulated by the Law of Georgia on Environmental Protection, which builds the normative basis for how permissible emission limits are set, how the state issues an environmental decision, and how the greenhouse gas authorization regime operates. If your enterprise plans to release harmful substances into the atmosphere, this page explains which norms apply to each concrete pollution source, who approves those norms, and which administrative act is required before the activity may lawfully begin.

The emission permit system rests on three pillars. The first is the permissible limit norms for the emission of harmful substances into the environment and for pollution of the environment by microorganisms. The second is the environmental decision, the administrative act through which the state admits an activity. The third is the authorization of greenhouse gas emissions, a separate regime created for climate protection. Analysing all three pillars together determines the full set of requirements facing the operator of an emitting installation.

Per-Source Permissible Emission Limit Norms

Under the law, the permissible limit norms for the emission of harmful substances into the environment and for pollution of the environment by microorganisms are developed for each concrete source of pollution, taking into account its technological features and the background pollution of its location, in such a way that the concentration of emitted substances and microorganisms at the site does not exceed the level of permissible concentration. This means the norm is not uniform for all enterprises: it is individually adapted to the technological profile of each source and to the ambient state of the environment around it.

These norms are determined once every five years by the regulation on permissible limit norms for the emission of harmful substances into the environment and for pollution of the environment by microorganisms, which is developed and approved by the ministry. The five year cycle ensures periodic renewal of the norms in line with technological and scientific progress, which for an enterprise means that an indicator which satisfies the requirements today may no longer be sufficient after the next revision.

Environmental Load Norms and Quotas

Emission regulation is reinforced by the institution of environmental load norms. When natural ecosystems, landscapes and other territories are used and developed, their permissible load norms are established. Environmental load norms encompass quotas for the use of natural resources, which are set at the state level taking into account the principles of sustainable development, while quotas for the use of individual types of natural resources are set at regional and local levels.

The ministry likewise develops and approves the environmental load norms once every five years, by the regulation on environmental load norms. The normative foundations of emissions and loads are therefore systematically refreshed, and an enterprise is expected to follow these updates, because ignorance of the applicable norms does not release from liability. For operators, this creates a compliance horizon measured in five year planning windows, within which monitoring obligations and production technology must keep pace with the tightening or adjusting of the norms.

Emission Permits