screening (screening)

Screening is Stage 1 of India's Environmental Impact Assessment process under the EIA Notification, 2006, where the regulator determines whether a proposed industrial project requires a full Environmental Clearance (EC) and if so, under which category. The Notification's Schedule I lists 39 project categories — including biogas plants above certain capacities, e-waste recycling, common hazardous waste treatment, and chemical industry — and assigns each to Category A (cleared centrally by MoEFCC) or Category B (cleared by SEIAA at state level).

The screening outcome places a project in one of three buckets:

• Category A — requires full EIA, public hearing, EAC appraisal at MoEFCC, and Central Government EC; reserved for large or sensitive projects (e.g. >1,000 MW thermal power, >100 TPD hazardous waste TSDF)
• Category B1 — requires full EIA, public hearing, SEAC appraisal, and SEIAA clearance; mid-size projects above state thresholds
• Category B2 — limited EIA without mandatory public hearing, SEAC appraisal, SEIAA clearance; smaller projects within state thresholds
• Below threshold — no EC required; only SPCB consents under Water and Air Acts

Screening considers multiple factors:

• Project capacity — installed throughput (TPD, KLD, MW) against Schedule I thresholds
• Location sensitivity — proximity to ecologically sensitive zones, protected areas, dense human habitation
• Pollution potential — air emissions, effluent generation, hazardous waste output
• General Condition (GC) clauses — if a project falls within 10 km of inter-state, international, or eco-sensitive boundaries, it is automatically escalated to Category A

For Indian CBG and recycling entrepreneurs, screening determines whether the project will face a 12–24 month clearance timeline (Category A/B1) or proceed directly to SPCB consent (below threshold). Most CBG plants under 12,000 m³/day biogas capacity, plastic mechanical recyclers under 50 TPD, and e-waste dismantlers under 25 TPD fall below the EIA threshold and need only SPCB consents — but the screening assessment must still be filed and the project's threshold position formally established before any civil work begins.