Single Environmental Licence (LAU, Mexico)

The Single Environmental Licence (LAU), in Spanish Licencia Ambiental Única, is the authorisation issued by Mexico's Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) for the operation of federally regulated stationary sources in relation to air emissions. Its purpose is to bring together, in a single procedure, the atmospheric obligations of these facilities rather than handling them separately.

A stationary source under federal jurisdiction is any installation at a single location intended to carry out industrial operations or processes that may release pollutants into the atmosphere. The General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA) is the framework that underpins this federal competence.

Who it applies to

The LAU is mandatory for the federally regulated industrial sectors that the LGEEPA itself lists, including the chemical, oil and petrochemical, paints and inks, automotive, pulp and paper, metallurgical and steel, cement and lime, glass and asbestos industries, electricity generation and hazardous-waste treatment. Stationary sources outside federal competence are regulated through licences issued by state or municipal authorities.

What the licence integrates

The LAU brings together the facility's air-emission obligations and incorporates, where relevant, requirements related to preventing and controlling air pollution. In practice, it sets the conditions under which the source may emit and requires compliance with the applicable Mexican Official Standards, such as those regulating the maximum permissible emission levels of combustion equipment.

Relationship with the Annual Operating Report

The LAU is complemented by the Annual Operating Report (COA), the periodic reporting instrument through which the facility reports its emissions and other environmental data each year. While the LAU authorises operation, the COA lets the authority track the source's environmental performance over time.

How it fits into a project's life cycle

For new projects, environmental assessment usually begins before the LAU, with the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA), which analyses the impacts of the works or activity before it is authorised. Once in operation, the stationary source must hold its LAU and keep its reports up to date. Managing these procedures well is an essential part of environmental compliance and a good starting point for measuring and reducing the activity's impact.

How Manglai can help

Manglai helps companies in Mexico understand their environmental impact and integrate emissions management into a sustainability and decarbonisation strategy. Discover how Manglai can help you measure your carbon footprint and build a solid reduction plan.