EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by the Authority of the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Regulator
Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012
Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Exemption) Instrument (No.4) 2016
Purpose and Operation
Section 37 of the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012 (the Act) enables the GEMS Regulator, by legislative instrument, to exempt models of GEMS products from one or more requirements of a GEMS determination in relation to all or specified supplies or uses of products of that model and enables the GEMS Regulator to specify conditions to which the exemption is subject. GEMS determinations are defined in section 11 of the Act.
Section 37 also provides that regulations may be made in order to provide a framework for administrative processes around the submission and assessment of applications for exemption.
The purpose of the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Exemption) Instrument (No.4) 2016 (the Instrument) is to exempt the specified three phase electric motors from the GEMS level requirements specified in section 6 of the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Three Phase Cage Induction Motors) Determination 2012 (the Determination).
Solar Turbines Australia (the applicant) sought an exemption as the motors currently being used at the Santos Gladstone GLNG site in Queensland do not comply with the Determination. The applicant would face considerable cost and delays in production if it was to replace the motors with compliant ones.
Consultation
The exemption set out in the Instrument was considered on application from the applicant named in the Instrument. Since the Instrument will only exempt the motors produced by the applicant, consultation was undertaken only with the applicant for the purposes of clarification of their application.
Detailed description of provisions in the Instrument
- Name of Instrument
Section 1 sets out the name of the Instrument.
2. Authority
Section 2 sets out the provision of the Act under which the Instrument is made.
3. Commencement
Section 3 sets out the commencement arrangements for the Instrument.
4. Definitions
Section 4 sets out the definition of terms used in the Instrument. The term ‘Exempt Model’ is defined in section 4.
5. Exemption
Section 5 exempts the three phase electric motor model specified in clause 1 of the Schedule to the Instrument (the exempt model) from the energy use and testing requirements of section 6 of the Determination, subject to the conditions specified in section 6 of the Instrument.
6. Conditions of Exemption
Section 6 specifies the conditions to which the exemption is subject.
7. Schedule – Exemption and conditions of exemption
The Schedule to the Instrument sets out the following terms:
- specifications of the Exempt Model;
- the requirements of the Determination from which the model is exempt;
- the supply and use to which the exemption applies; and
- conditions of the exemption.