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We previously outlined the regulatory history of environmental laws and currently acting institutions. Below we discuss the approval processes including the high-level classifications.  

Environmental permits and EIAs defined by NCEC

The National Centre for Environmental Compliance (NCEC) defines a hierarchy of development types and operational activities and links those to approval requirements for planning and development. 

Before approval, the NCEC categorises the activity based on impacts and requires an EIA depending on the type of development.

Impact classifications

Yes, social and economic impacts are also considered. The US Environmental Protection Agency defines environmentally sensitive receptors as public facilities (hospitals, schools, daycare facilities, elderly housing and convalescent facilities), where the occupants are more susceptible to adverse effects.

The developments are categorised according to:

• Type and size of the activity
• Used energy
• Use and depletion of natural resources
• Land use impacted
• Sensitive receptors (public services) in the adjacent area
• Characteristics of environmental impacts
  • Type of impacts (negative/positive, direct or indirect, cumulative)
  • Duration of impacts
  • Reversibility of the impact
  • Probability of impacts occurrence
  • Geographics extent (international, regional, local)

The permit process

Construction, first

The requirements to obtain a construction permit obviously differ by activity type (executive list of environmental permits for construction and operation of activities (MEWA, 2020), also no construction is permissible without approval. Any application for a construction permit must include the activity class and impact for the NCEC to

• Determine all requirements and prerequisites, and 
• Review the environmental classification and issues its decision on the permit according to the activity’s category (articles 4 and 5 of the Executive list XXX).

Based on the classification of the development, the following approval steps are required: 

Impact Class	Requirement
Class 1: Limited Impact	Management and rehabilitation plan prepared by a licensed service provider.
Class 2: Moderate Impact	EIA (article 7) includes a management and rehabilitation plan
Class 3: Significant Impact	Approval of the EIA (article 8) includes a management and rehabilitation plan

Operation, second

An environmental permit is required for all operational activities or when changing the type, nature or scale of operational activity. 

The approval steps

1. Fill out the environmental permit application form on the environmental licensing system of the NCEC, submit the required documents and pay an application fee.
2. Classification of the environmental impact (class 1-3) by NCEC
3. NCEC reviews the application (10 days). The applicant can request a reconsideration of the categorisation after necessary improvements. 
4. Approval and issuance of the permit or request for more information.

Prerequisites

• Online request to be submitted
• Commercial record
• Authorization or legitimate agency
• Hazardous waste register
• Other preconditions are required depending on the category of the project
• Application fees: 1,000 SAR for the first category, 2,000 SAR for the second category, and 8,000 SAR for the third category

Section of the application for activity categorisation before getting the environmental permit

Conclusion

The Saudi authorities have significantly formalised the regulatory landscape to protect and conserve the environment for future generations. A few questions remain:

• Why is an EIA essential but ‘may’ only be requested for moderate and significant effects?
• What are the scenarios or conditions for activities to fall into one of the three classes?
• What impacts are these regulations reflecting on the Kingdom’s vision?
• What are the requirements of an EIA for an approved permit?
• How does the permit acquisition process in KSA differ or align with international and European standards?