EST's and Waste in Oman

1. Environmentally Sound Technologies:
Assessment, Approval and Waste
Management
Dr Steve Halls
Chairman, IEMA Oman
&
Senior Environmental Expert, MECA

2. Assessment and Approvals
• In Oman Project proponents and Operators
must comply with various environmental
regulations:
• RD 114/2001
• MD 187/2001
• MD 48/2017
• MD 118/2004
• MD 41/2017
• …

3. Assessment and Approvals
• These regulatory requires the selection and use of Best
Available Technologies (BAT) that fulfil the definition
of an Environmental Sound Technologies (EST’s)
• To ensure compliance with the regulatory
requirements project proponents must demonstrate
that they have undertaken an internationally
recognized and acceptable methodology for the
comparative assessment of EST’s.
• Therefore, project proponents must provide
documented evidence of this process when seeking
project approval and/or licencing.

4. EST Assessment and Uptake
Support
Global & Generic
Applications
Site and Specific
Environmental
Technologies
Production and
Consumption
Technologies
Proposed
Technology
Investment
EST
Performance
Assessment
(ESTPA)
Environmentally-
focussed Technology
Assessment
(EnTA)
EST
▪ Generic Guidelines
▪ Generic Criteria
▪ Generic Benchmarks
Data Bases
▪ ESTIS
▪ Maestro II
▪ Other
Monitoring
and
Evaluation
Case Study
“Library” &
Demonstration
Projects
Recommendation
on Technology
Investment
Operational
Experience within
an EMS
Self and 3rd
Party
Verification
Critical Factors
▪ Environmental Pressures
▪ Local Conditions
▪ Local Requirements
▪ Local Values/Aspirations
Global and Generic Evaluations and Verifications
Site and Technology Specific Assessments

5. EST Assessment and Uptake
Support
Global & Generic
Applications
Site and Specific
Environmental
Technologies
Production and
Consumption
Technologies
Proposed
Technology
Investment
EST
Performance
Assessment
(ESTPA)
Environmentally-
focussed Technology
Assessment
(EnTA)
EST
▪ Generic Guidelines
▪ Generic Criteria
▪ Generic Benchmarks
Data Bases
▪ ESTIS
▪ Maestro II
▪ Other
Monitoring
and
Evaluation
Case Study
“Library” &
Demonstration
Projects
Recommendation
on Technology
Investment
Operational
Experience within
an EMS
Self and 3rd
Party
Verification
Critical Factors
▪ Environmental Pressures
▪ Local Conditions
▪ Local Requirements
▪ Local Values/Aspirations
Global and Generic Evaluations and Verifications
Site and Technology Specific Assessments

6. What are environmentally sound
technologies?
ESTs are defined as technologies that perform better for the
environment or in relation to the environment than
conventional technologies. In particular, these features make
them environmentally sound:
• They avoid producing waste and avoid degrading the
environment with their waste.
• They do not pollute or they pollute less the air, water and
land. They are ‘clean’ technologies.
• If they cannot totally avoid waste, they reuse or recycle
their waste, hence, they are energy-efficient.

7. ‘Hard’ ESTs - are easily recognizable and more popular. They
refer to the hardware part of technologies, i.e., equipment and
machines, including their accessories, for example:
a) End-of-pipe technologies designed for the treatment of
pollution.
b) Remedial technologies aimed at cleaning up damage or
reclaiming resources that were formerly degraded (e.g.,
technologies for desalination, soil decontamination, etc.)
c) Process technologies producing goods or services with lower
resource consumption or degradation (manufacturing
technologies that use lesser fossil fuels or use alternative
energy sources like solar, wind or hydrogen)
d) Product technologies involving environmental improvement
through altered final or intermediary products which are less
polluting and are recyclable.
ESTs are either ‘hard’ or ‘soft’.

8. Why are ESTs important?
• They avoid/prevent or reduce risks to human
life and welfare
• They create products and processes that are
environmentally beneficial or benign.
• They enhance cost effectiveness and improve
process efficiency.

9. How to select ESTs
Example UNEP Environmental
Technology Assessment (EnTA)
• Awareness of the technology cycle
• Understanding and application of the
technology assessment process
• Technology choice
– Environmental emissions and wastes
– Energy and water minimizing

10. 1. Analysis of the
reason for selecting
technology
2. Gather information on
proposed technologies and
alternatives solutions
3. Choice among
alternatives
4. Situational analysis
5.Regulatory analysis
6. Identification of and
consultation with stakeholders
7. Identification of
potential impacts
8. Consolidation of finding
and recommendations
The Basic Steps of EnTA

11. • This is the most important stage of the EnTA
process. An environmental problem, an industry
need or a general public need, or an opportunity
may drive the desire to acquire a new technology or
replace an existing one. However, too often, this
leads to one solution, usually a ‘hard’ technological
solution which may not be the right kind or not the
only solution. Other solutions to eliminate or reduce
garbage will have to be explored.
1. Analysis of the reason for selecting a technology

12. • Need to gather information as much as possible to
avoid falling into the trap of a strong bias towards a
single technological solution.
• Information should be made available on the
proposed technology as well as on alternative or
competing technologies.
• Alternative solutions need not be new technologies
but could be improvements to an existing technology.
• There is a need to consider other factors, such as
community values, available technical and
managerial skills in the organization.
2. Gather information on the proposed technology
and alternative solutions

13. • Making a choice among alternatives implies making
a comparison of two or more technologies.
• However, this is not easy since to acquire
information on several alternatives would be time
consuming and could be discouraging.
• The problem is often due to the lack of adequate,
reliable information on more than one kind of
solution that is available and easily accessible by
decision makers.
3. Making a choice among alternatives.

14. a) The natural tendency towards passive acceptance or
least resistance as this is less costly in terms of time
and effort
b) A strong influence of an aggressive technology
‘champion’
c) Technology is tied to a technical assistance promise,
trade agreement or foreign debt agreement
d) Dominance in the country of a foreign country
which produces technologies
e) A combination of any of these
Factors that can limit information search

15. a) Cost of acquisition, operation and maintenance the
equipment or facility vis-à-vis the ‘affordability’ of
the acquisitor.
b) Ease of acquisition, operation and maintenance.
c) Track record of the technology provider.
d) The technology is not tied to any foreign trade or
debt agreement.
e) The technology is gender-friendly.
Suggested criteria for selecting between two or
three equally sound and appropriate technologies

16. • This refers to an analysis of the existing social,
cultural, economic and even political conditions of
the locality where the technology is proposed to be
introduced and of the conditions in the
institution/organization which will be responsible for
the initiation, application, operation and management
of the technology.
• This will include considerations of community
values and preferences. The technology should not
be repugnant to community values or practices.
4. Situational analysis

17. 5. Regulatory analysis
• EnTA has to be understood and applied within the
context of a nation’s laws, regulations and standards.
• Knowledge of the law and regulatory requirements
which will affect new technologies will save time,
effort and money in the EnTA process.
• Other development policies that need to be analyzed
are:
– labor laws
– importation regulations
– national/local laws on patent
– taxation laws
– regulations on foreign capital and business ownership

18. 6. Identification of and consultation with
stakeholders
• The participation of stakeholders in the decision
making process for selecting the particular
technology and its accessories is necessary to ensure
a successful implementation of the technology.
• There are a number of good things that can come out
from a consultation with stakeholders.
• There are bad things that may happen if stakeholders
are ignored, even if the technology chosen would be
the right one.

19. 7. Identification of potential impacts
• The use of another type of management and decision
tool - an environmental impact assessment (EIA) or
environmental risk assessment (EnRA) may be done
after a technology has been assessed and selected.
• The main objective
– to identify the potential impact of the technology on the
health, safety and welfare of people and the natural
ecosystems on one hand
– to identify the probable impact of people and their
environment on the effectiveness and usefulness of the
technology.

20. a) Human behaviour and preferences
b) Natural ecosystems and resources
c) Built environment
Areas where the environmental impact of a new
technology may occur or which will have an
impact on the technology itself are:

21. 8. Findings and recommendations
• EnTA is not a one-off activity.
• EnTA is most effective if it is a part of an established
development planning and management system.
• It is important to note that undertaking EnTA
requires multi-disciplinary teamwork.
• The EnTA documentation (either as a stand alone
report or part of an EIA Report) will contain
information justifying the use of the technologies
proposed.
• This information will be used to assess the proposed
projects environmental soundness and impact
minimization.

22. Shukran!
Professor Steve Halls can be contacted
Email: steve.halls@meca.gov.om
Mobile: +968 92181800