Are you planning to build, expand or modernize an investment? The implementation of the project may require the preparation of a Project Information Card. What is this document? What information should it contain and when should it be prepared?
Project Information Card (PIC) – what is it? What information should it contain?
Project Information Card (KIP) is one of the most important documents in the investment process. It analyzes the impact of the investment on the environment and health people, and also allows to identify the nuisances resulting from the implementation of the project. Its aim is to minimize or eliminate the negative impact of the planned undertaking on the environment.
Thanks to the Project Information Card, the appropriate the environmental authority may make an assessment and qualification of the investment in accordance with the procedure for assessing the impact of the undertaking on the environment and issue a decision on the environmental conditions of the consent for its implementation. For this reason, the document should contain detailed information on the investment. They can be grouped into several categories, including:
- Type, features, scale and location (position) of the investment
- Area of the occupied property
- Type of technology
- Project Variants
- Solutions that protect the environment
- Types and expected amounts of energy consumption or substances released into the environment, determined using environmental protection solutions
- Possible cross-border environmental impact
- Areas subject to protection in accordance with the Act of 16 April 2004 on nature conservation (Journal of Laws 2004 No. 92 item 880), and ecological corridors that are within the range of significant impact of the investment
- Projects that are being implemented or have been implemented in the area of the planned investment and in the area of its impact, and - if such a situation were to occur - projects whose areas of impact are located in the area of impact of the planned project - to the extent to which their impact may cause cumulation of impacts with the investment
- Risk of a natural or construction disaster or a major accident
- Estimated quantities and types of waste generated, possibly processed, collected as part of the planned project and their impact on the environment.
When should a Project Information Card be prepared?
As mentioned, the Project Information Card is an essential element of the application for issuing a decision on the environmental conditions of the consent to implement the investment and Valid in case projects that could potentially significantly impact the environmentAs a result, the requirement to prepare it covers the implementation, expansion and modernization of investments such as:
- residential and service development,
- shopping malls and amusement parks,
- hotels and recreation centers,
- camping sites,
- roads, tram lines,
- sewer networks,
- cement production installations,
- metal processing installations,
- overhead power lines,
- conventional power plants, hydroelectric power plants and combined heat and power plants.
The full list of investments for which the development of a Project Information Card is required has been defined in the regulation of the Council of Ministers of 10 September 2019 (Journal of Laws 2019, item 1839). It lists investments that may potentially have a significant impact on the environment.
Remember to verify whether the preparation of the Project Information Card is sufficient to obtain an environmental decision, the size and location of the investment are decisive. In the case of some projects, it is necessary preparation of an environmental report, which is a more detailed study than KIP. You do not know what document you need to prepare? At EkoMeritum we will dispel your doubts. All you have to do is contact us.
Project Information Card – who can prepare it?
Project Information Sheet may be prepared and signed by a person with knowledge about the undertaking and information relevant to the requirements of the Act. This person may be an employee of the establishment/institution. However, due to its significance for the investment process and complexity, and often in the case of extended Project Information Card, also due to the need to model the emission of gases and dust into the air and model the noise in the environment (in such a case it is necessary to use specialist software) – the preparation of the KIP should be entrusted to environmental protection specialists with the appropriate experience.
Environmental regulations provide guidelines on who is authorized to prepare the Environmental Impact Report for the project. The document should be prepared by a person who meets certain conditions – a person who has completed certain types of studies, obtaining an appropriate degree of education, or has sufficiently long experience in preparing documents.
Project Information Card – How many copies should be prepared?
Both the Project Information Card and the Environmental Impact Report must be submitted in writing (printout) in 1 copy to the address of the body conducting the proceedings and additionally in electronic form on data carriers also to the address of the body conducting the proceedings, with the proviso that in the case of the electronic version, 1 copy must be prepared for the body conducting the proceedings and 1 copy for each of the bodies issuing opinions/agreements.
The number of submitted copies of documentation, as well as guidelines regarding the education and experience of the authors of the Report, were published in this year's ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE MARSHAL OF THE SEJM (of 14 June 2024) regarding the announcement of a uniform text of the act on providing information on the environment and its protection, public participation in environmental protection and on environmental impact assessments and result from the provisions of Art. 74.2 and Art. 74. a 1 and 2.
Do you need a Project Information Card? Write to us or call us. A qualified expert will conduct an in-depth analysis of the investment, perform specialist calculations and prepare a reliable KIP.
