EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, the Honourable Greg Combet AM MP
National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Amendment Determination 2012 (No. 1)
The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (the Act) established the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) system which is a national system for reporting greenhouse gas emissions, energy production, energy consumption, and potential greenhouse gas emissions embodied in natural gas by Australian corporations.
The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008 (the Determination) is made under section 7B and subsection 10(3) of the Act, which provides for the Minister to determine methods, or criteria for methods, for the measurement of (a) greenhouse gas emissions; (b) the production of energy; (c) the consumption of energy; and (d) potential greenhouse gas emissions embodied in an amount of natural gas.
This Instrument will amend the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008.
The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Amendment Determination 2012 (No.1) (the Instrument) aims to achieve the following:
support the Clean Energy Act 2011;
provide for methods to estimate potential emissions embodied in natural gas under section 7B of the Act;
elaborate the methods specified for certain sectors;
update scope 2 emissions factors for the consumption of electricity which require annual adjustment in line with dispatch decisions within the National Electricity Market made throughout the last financial year;
respond to feedback from stakeholders and industry groups; and
provide clarification of methodologies to improve the consistency and accuracy of emission estimates.
The Instrument will commence on registration and apply to the 2012-13 financial year. It will affect NGER reports submitted by corporations in October 2013.
Details of the amendments to the Instrument and a Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights are included in the Attachments.
The Instrument is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.
Consultation
A consultation draft of the Instrument was released for public comment on 30 April 2012. The Department received 23 submissions from stakeholders on a range of issues, which resulted in a number of clarifications to the Instrument.
With the release of the initial Determination, a commitment was made to review the methods and factors provided within 5 years. This review was undertaken in 2010 and was facilitated by a public consultation process on the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination Discussion Paper released in August 2010. Some of the issues in the discussion paper requiring further research and development have now been addressed in this Instrument. Other issues are still under consideration. A number of issues are also being addressed through amendments to the Regulations.
Background
The initial Determination was the result of comprehensive consultation with business and other stakeholders between May 2005 and June 2008 in relation to the Act, the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Regulations 2008 (the Regulations) and the Instrument.
Since the Determination was made in 2008 a set of amendments to the Instrument have been released in June of each year. This annual cycle of amendments involves consultation with stakeholders as well as a public consultation process and reflects the experience of implementation and the ongoing research and development in various industry sectors.
The initial Instrument was the subject of specific consultations, including the release of two documents for public comment: National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System, Technical Guidelines for the Estimation of Greenhouse Emissions and Energy at Facility‑Level; and Energy, Industrial Process and Waste Sectors in Australia - Discussion Paper and a related overview paper. Over 70 formal submissions were received from interested organisations and individuals.
The Instrument includes provisions to support the Clean Energy Act 2011. These provisions relate to solid waste disposal on land (landfills) and natural gas supply.
The amendments for landfills have two intentions. Firstly, to ensure that landfills that were closed prior to the start of the carbon pricing mechanism on 1 July 2012 are not required to report emissions from solid waste disposal for the 2012-13 reporting year. Secondly, to provide methods to support the separate reporting of emissions from the decay of legacy waste (waste deposited at a landfill before 1 July 2012) and non-legacy waste in order to support the Clean Energy Act 2011.
The amendments for natural gas supply provide methods to estimate potential emissions embodied in an amount of natural gas, which are defined in section 7B of the Act as amended by the Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Act 2011.
Under the Clean Energy Act 2011, large users of natural gas are responsible for their own emissions, while natural gas suppliers are responsible for the remaining emissions from natural gas used by other end-use customers. The liability for natural gas suppliers applies to potential emissions embodied in natural gas, before the gas is combusted and emissions are released.
Overview of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008
The legislative framework for the NGER system is established by the Act. The Act provides for an integrated reporting system with the objectives of:
informing government policy formulation and the Australian public;
meeting Australia’s international reporting obligations;
assisting Commonwealth, State and Territory government programs and activities;
underpinning the introduction of an emissions trading scheme in the future; and
avoiding duplication of similar reporting requirements in the States and Territories.
The Act makes reporting mandatory for corporations whose energy production, energy use, or greenhouse gas emissions meet certain specified thresholds. However, liable entities registered under Division 4 of Part 2 of the Act (for example a local government body) are not required to report scope 2 emissions, energy consumption or energy production data.
The Determination, made under section 7B and subsection 10(3) of the Act, provides the criteria for establishing methodologies and methods for estimating and measuring the following items from the operation of facilities:
greenhouse gas emissions;
the production of energy;
the consumption or energy; and
potential greenhouse gas emissions embodied in an amount of natural gas.
The structure of the Determination is designed to facilitate the integration of corporate and facility level data provided under the Act with international data standards on greenhouse gas emissions.
The scope of the Determination is given by the following categories of emission sources:
fuel combustion – emissions from the combustion of fuel for energy (see chapter 2);
fugitive emissions from the extraction, production, flaring, processing and distribution of fossil fuels and carbon capture and storage (see chapter 3);
industrial process emissions where a mineral, chemical or metal product is formed using a chemical reaction that generates greenhouse gases as a by-product and emissions of hydrofluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride resulting from their use by certain industries (see chapter 4); and
waste emissions from waste disposal – either in landfill, as management of wastewater or from waste incineration (see chapter 5).
The most significant source is fuel combustion, which accounts for over 60 per cent of the emissions reported in the national greenhouse gas inventory.
The scope of the Determination does not include land-based emissions covered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) categories ‘Agriculture’ and ‘Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry’. Emissions from fuel combustion by land-based industries are, nonetheless, covered by this Determination.
Methods of measurement
The Determination provides methods that allow for both direct emissions monitoring and the estimation of emissions through the tracking of observable, closely-related variables. This framework reflects the approaches of the international guidelines governing the estimation of national greenhouse gas inventories and international practice such as for the EU Guidelines for the Monitoring and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the US Environment Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas Mandatory Reporting Rule.
At its simplest, emissions may be estimated by reference to reportable data such as fossil fuel consumption, evidenced by invoices, and the use of specified emission factors provided in the Determination. For emissions from fuel combustion, for example, data on fuel consumption would be multiplied by a specific emission factor for that fuel to generate an emissions estimate. A similar approach was used for over a decade prior to the commencement of the NGER system under earlier reporting programs.
More complex measurement processes may produce more accurate estimates at a facility level through sampling and analysis of the carbon content within fuel consumed and other qualities that affect actual emissions generated by its combustion at a facility. This approach to emissions estimation has been used for some time under previous reporting programs.
Direct monitoring, while not common, is an important approach to emissions estimation and is mandatory for the measurement of emissions associated with underground coal mining activities. In these cases State legislation also requires methane levels to be monitored directly for occupational health and safety reasons.
By drawing on existing emissions estimation practices, where possible, the Instrument aims to minimise reporting burdens on corporations and encourage reporters to balance the costs of using higher order methods with the benefits of potentially more accurate emissions estimates.
The Determination provides four different methods of estimating emissions for most emissions sources. A summary of each method used in the Determination is provided below.
Method 1: The National Greenhouse Accounts default method
Method 1 provides a class of estimation procedures derived directly from the methodologies used by the Department for the preparation of the National Greenhouse Accounts. This also ties Method 1 to the international guidelines adopted by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change for the estimation of greenhouse gas emissions (including the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories).
Method 1 specifies the use of a designated emissions factor in the estimation of emissions. These emissions factors are national average factors determined by the Department using the Australian Greenhouse Emissions Information System (AGEIS). Method 1 is most useful and appropriate for emission sources of a homogenous nature, such as emissions from the combustion of a liquid fuels, where the emissions per unit of fuel combusted across all reporting facilities will be similar.
Method 2: Facility specific methods using Australian or international standards provided in the Determination or equivalent.
Method 2 enables corporations to undertake additional measurements, for example, of fuel inputs, in order to gain more accurate estimates of emissions for that facility. Australian and international standards provide the benchmark for procedures used for the analysis of fuel inputs.
Method 2 is most likely to be useful for fuels which exhibit variability in key qualities such as carbon content from facility to facility. This method is based on technical guidelines that existed under previous reporting programs.
Method 3: Facility specific sampling and analysis in line with Australian and international standards provided in the Determination.
Method 3 builds upon Method 2 and requires reporters to comply with Australian or equivalent standards for sampling (of fuels or raw materials) as well as standards for the analysis of fuels.
Method 4: Direct monitoring of emissions systems, either on a continuous or periodic basis.
Method 4 aims to directly monitor emissions arising out of a particular activity and can provide high level accuracy in certain circumstances. This method differs from lower order methods in its focus on the direct outputs of the activity rather than the inputs.
There is a substantial body of documented procedures on monitoring practices and State and Territory government regulatory experience that provide the principal sources of guidance for the establishment of such systems.
Options: Different methods for different sources
Reporters may select different methods for each source. The Reporter may elect to use a different method based on the nature and content of the operation and emissions, subject to certain restrictions. In part, these differences reflect method availability. For example, for solid fuels, only Method 1 has been provided for methane and nitrous oxide, whereas four methods are available for carbon dioxide.
ATTACHMENT A
Details of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Amendment Determination 2012 (No.1)
Item 1 – Name of Determination
This item provides that the title of the Instrument is the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Amendment Determination 2012 (No. 1).
Item 2 – Commencement
This item provides for the amendments in Schedule 1 to commence on 1 July 2012.
Item 3 – Amendment of National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008
This item outlines that Schedule 1 amends the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008 (the Determination).
SCHEDULE 1 AMENDMENTS
The explanations of amendments provided below are grouped by part and division within the Determination. Individual amendment items are referenced to the amendment number as stated in the Instrument.
CHAPTER 1: GENERAL
The amendments to Chapter 1 of the Determination add definitions required to complement changes to reporting of fugitive emissions from open cut coal mines and emissions from landfills, and insert a new part to provide for the estimation of potential greenhouse gas emissions embodied in an amount of natural gas.
Potential emissions embodied in an amount of natural gas are defined in section 7B of the NGER Act as amended by the Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Act 2011.
Under the Clean Energy Act 2011, large users of natural gas are responsible for their own emissions, while natural gas suppliers are responsible for the remaining emissions from natural gas used by other end-use customers. The liability for natural gas suppliers applies to potential emissions embodied in natural gas, before the gas is combusted and emissions are released.
Part 1.1 Preliminary
Item | Commentary |
[1] – [4] | Updates the overview to take account of the new methods for estimating potential greenhouse gas emissions embodied in an amount of natural gas. |
[5] | Refers to the methods for estimation of potential emissions embodied in natural gas. |
[6] | Inserts a definition for ACARP Guidelines, which is a document referenced in Chapters 3 and 8 for methods 2 and 3 for fugitive emissions from open cut mines. |
[7] | Updates the reference to the API Compendium to the most recent, 2009 version. |
[8] | Provides a definition for the Australian legal unit of measurement. |
[9] – [12] | Provides definitions for base of the low gas zone, domain, estimator and gas bearing strata, each of which is referenced in Chapter 3 for estimating emissions from open cut coal mines. |
[13] | Provides a definition for legacy waste for waste deposited at landfills and referenced in Part 5.2 Solid waste disposal on land. |
[14] | Provides a definition for low gas zone, which is referenced in Chapter 3 for estimating emissions from open cut coal mines. |
[15] – [16] | Aligns the meaning of natural gas and natural gas supply pipeline with the National Energy and Reporting Regulations 2008 and the Clean Energy Act 2011. |
[17] | Provides a definition for non-legacy waste for waste deposited at landfills referenced in Part 5.2 Solid waste disposal on land. |
[18] | Clarifies the definition of open cut mine. |
[19] | Provides a definition for primary wastewater treatment plant referenced in Part 5.3 Wastewater handling (domestic and commercial). |
[20] | Clarifies the definition of reductant. |
[21] | Aligns the definition of sludge biogas with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Regulations 2008 (NGER Regulations). |
[22] | Provides a definition of supply. |
[23] | Provides additional notes that: potential greenhouse gas emissions; scope 1 emission (see also regulation 2.23 of the Regulations); and scope 2 emission (see also regulation 2.24 of the Regulations) are defined in the Act. |
[24] | Updates the references to standards to those in force on 1 July 2012. |
[25] | Clarifies the meaning of source by adding sodium cyanide production to the table in subsection 1.10 (1). |
Part 1.1A Potential greenhouse gas emissions embodied in an amount of natural gas
Item | Commentary |
[26] | Inserts provisions covering the estimation of potential greenhouse gas emissions embodied in an amount of natural gas. |
Part 1.2 General
Item | Commentary |
[27] | Inserts provisions for methods to be used by certain electricity generation facilities. |
[28] | Inserts provisions for use of reporting methods where more than one person is required to report for the same facility. |
[29] | Inserts provisions for temporary unavailability of a method for persons reporting potential greenhouse gas emissions embodied in an amount of natural gas. |
[30] | Includes reference to additional conditions for method use at 1.18A. |
[31] | Clarifies references to the standards for volumetric measurements. |
[32] | Clarifies reference to Australian legal units of measurement. |
[33] – [34] | Updates reference for the American Gas Association report AGA Report No. 8, Compressibility Factor of Natural Gas and Related Hydrocarbon Gases (1994). |
[35] | Clarifies the reference to chromatographs to gas chromatographs. |
[36] – [37] | Update reference for the American Gas Association report AGA Report No. 8, Compressibility Factor of Natural Gas and Related Hydrocarbon Gases (1994). |
[38] | Clarifies the reference to the publication. |
[39] | Clarifies reference to Australian legal units of measurement. |
CHAPTER 2: FUEL COMBUSTION
The amendments to Chapter 2 of the Determination include updates to the threshold for the use of higher order methods for electricity generation units, and a provision for the use of on‑line analysers for gaseous fuels.
Part 2.2 Emissions released from the combustion of solid fuels, Division 2.2.1 Preliminary
Item | Commentary |
[40] | Clarification to the threshold for electricity generation which requires Method 2 or higher be used when the principle activity of the facility is electricity generation, and the generating unit has the capacity to produce 30 megawatts or more of electricity, and generates more than 50,000 megawatt hours of electricity in a reporting year. |
Part 2.3 Emissions released from the combustion of gaseous fuels, Division 2.3.3 Method 2 — emissions of carbon dioxide from the combustion of gaseous fuels
Item | Commentary |
[41] | Clarification to the threshold for electricity generation which requires Method 2 or higher be used when the principle activity of the facility is electricity generation, and the generating unit has the capacity to produce 30 megawatt or more of electricity, and generates more than 50,000 megawatt hours of electricity in a reporting year. |
[42] | Clarifies the definition of ECi for use in calculating emission factors. |
[43] | Provides for the use of on-line analysers for analysing gaseous fuels where this was previously only available for the analysis of solid fuels. |
[44] | Clarifies references. |
[45] | Clarifies provisions covering the use of gas measuring equipment. |
[46] | Formatting correction. |
[47] | Clarifies section heading. |
[48] – [49] | Clarifies provisions related to volumetric measurement of natural gas. |
[50] | Clarifies the reference to gas chromatographs. |
[51] | Includes reference to paragraph 2.34 (a). |
[52] – [54] | Updates references. |
[55] – [56] | Clarifies flow device requirements. |
[57] | Formatting update. |
Part 2.4 Emissions released from the combustion of liquid fuels, Division 2.4.5 Method 2 — emissions of methane and nitrous oxide from liquid fuels other than petroleum based oils or greases
Item | Commentary |
[58] – [60] | Corrects references. |
Part 2.7 Estimation of energy for certain purposes
Item | Commentary |
[61] | Provides for consistency between electricity consumption and production by applying the threshold for electricity produced in NGER Regulation 4.20 to electricity consumed. |
CHAPTER 3: FUGITIVE EMISSIONS
Part 3.2 Coal Mining – Fugitive emissions, Division 3.2.3 Open cut mines
The methods 2 and 3 for estimating fugitive emissions from open cut coal mines have been elaborated through reference to sections of the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) guidelines published in December 2011 (ACARP C20005 Guidelines for the Implementation of NGER Method 2 or 3 for Open Cut Coal Mine Fugitive GHG Emissions Reporting).
Item | Commentary |
[62] | Aligns the sampling and analysis of gas and gas bearing strata with sections of the ACARP Guidelines. |
[63] – [64] | Clarifies the formula for estimating the proportion of gas content below the pit floor. |
[65] | Inserts clarification of measurement requirements. |
[66] | Introduces the option of an alternative formula for estimating the proportion of gas content below the pit floor. |
[67] | Aligns the general requirements for sampling with sections of the ACARP Guidelines. |
[68] | Aligns the general requirements for analysis of gas and gas bearing strata with sections of the ACARP Guidelines. |
[69] | Provides the method of working out the base of the low gas zone as well as further requirements for the ‘estimator’ when estimating the low gas zone surface. Provides a default gas content for gas bearing strata in the low gas zone. Aligns the method for estimation of total gas in the gas bearing strata with the ACARP Guidelines. |
Part 3.3 Oil and natural gas – fugitive emissions, Division 3.3.2 Oil or gas exploration
The Determination currently references methods contained in particular sections of the American Petroleum Institute (API) Compendium released in 2004. These amendments include updates to the references relating to fugitive leaks to the most recent API Compendium released in 2009. The use of the API Compendium is consistent with the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for national inventory compilation.
Item | Commentary |
[70] | Introduces a method 4 for venting emissions from oil or gas exploration that allows use of direct measurement of emissions. |
Part 3.3 Oil and natural gas – fugitive emissions, Division 3.3.3 Crude oil production
Item | Commentary |
[71] – [72] | Updates references to the API Compendium released in 2009. |
[73] | Introduces a method 4 for venting emissions from crude oil production that allows use of direct measurement of emissions. |
Part 3.3 Oil and natural gas – fugitive emissions, Division 3.3.6 Natural gas production and processing (other than emissions that are vented or flared)
Item | Commentary |
[74] – [75] | Updates reference to the API Compendium released in 2009. |
Part 3.3 Oil and natural gas – fugitive emissions, Division 3.3.7 Natural Gas Transmission
Item | Commentary |
[76] – [77] | Provides clarity in relation to the use of the engineering calculation approach in the API Compendium. |
Part 3.3 Oil and natural gas – fugitive emissions, Division 3.3.9 Natural gas production and processing (emissions that are vented or flared)
Item | Commentary |
[78] | Updates reference to the API Compendium released in 2009. |
CHAPTER 4: INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES
Part 4.1 Preliminary
Item | Commentary |
[79] | Inserts cross reference. |
Part 4.2 Industrial processes – mineral products, Division 4.2.3 Use of carbonates for production of a product other than cement clinker, lime or soda ash
The following set of amendments introduce an alternative method 1 and 3 for consumption of carbonates in clay materials, which uses an approach based on the inorganic carbon content of the material to estimate the emissions.
Item | Commentary |
[80] | Clarifies the note to reference brick and ceramic industries. |
[81] – [82] | Provides for an alternative method 1 and method 3 for the use of carbonates in clay materials. |
[83] | Inserts an alternative method 1 for use of carbonates in clay materials. This method 1 uses the inorganic carbon content of the clay material consumed and the quantity of clay material consumed to estimate emissions from this source. Default inorganic carbon content factors are provided by State and Territory. |
[84] | Inserts an alternative method 3 for use of carbonates in clay materials. This method 3 uses the inorganic carbon content of the clay material consumed and the quantity of clay material consumed to estimate emissions from this source. This method requires a facility specific inorganic carbon content factor to be derived from sampling and analysis of the clay material. Sampling and analysis requirements are also provided in this amendment. |
Part 4.2 Industrial processes – mineral products, Division 4.2.4 Soda ash use and production
Item | Commentary |
[85] – [86] | Clarifies formulas. |
Part 4.2 Industrial processes – mineral products, Division 4.2.5 Measurement of quantity of carbonates consumed and products derived from carbonates
Item | Commentary |
[87] | Clarifies the purpose of the division with the inclusion of cross-references to appropriate sections. |
Part 4.3 Industrial processes – chemical industry, Division 4.3.1 Ammonia production
Item | Commentary |
[88] | Corrects cross-reference. |
Part 4.3 Industrial processes – chemical industry, Division 4.3.5 Chemical or mineral production, other than carbide production, using a carbon reductant or carbon anode
Item | Commentary |
[89] | Inserts a cross reference to Division 4.2.5. |
Part 4.3 Industrial processes – chemical industry
To ensure consistent reporting of emissions from sodium cyanide production a separate division for this source is proposed under Part 4.3 Industrial processes – chemical industry. The division for sodium cyanide production provides a carbon balance methodology for estimating emissions of carbon dioxide and direct measurement for estimating emissions of nitrous oxide.
Item | Commentary |
[90] | Inserts a division for sodium cyanide production and applies to emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide from this source. The methods available reference the carbon balance methodology under Division 4.3.5 and direct measurement under Part 1.3. |
Part 4.4 Industrial processes – metal industry, Division 4.4.1 Iron, steel or other metal production using an integrated metalworks
Item | Commentary |
[91] | Inserts a cross reference to Division 4.2.5. |
Part 4.4 Industrial processes – metal industry, Division 4.4.2 Ferroalloy metal
Item | Commentary |
[92] – [93] | Inserts a cross reference to Division 4.2.5. |
Part 4.5 Industrial processes – emissions of hydrofluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride gases
Item | Commentary |
[94] – [95] | Clarifies the meaning of synthetic gas generating activities to only relate to the listed ANZSIC industries. |
[96] | Updates the leakage rate factor for sulphur hexafluoride to reflect the change applied for this source in the national inventory emissions estimates. |
CHAPTER 5: WASTE
Amendments introduced for Chapter 5 support the provisions of the Clean Energy Act 2011, clarify provisions in relation to the use of Method 1, and improve the accuracy of estimation for regional landfills. Amendments also modify provisions for the estimation of facility‑specific decay rate constants under Method 2.
Part 5.2 Solid waste disposal on land, Division 5.2.1 Preliminary
Item | Commentary |
[97] | Amends the application of the Part through an amendment to the date on or after which a landfill was open for the acceptance of waste to 1 July 2012. |
Part 5.2 Solid waste disposal on land, Division 5.2.2 Method 1 — emissions of methane released from landfills
Item | Commentary |
[98] | Removes reference to the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Inventories and provides the IPCC’s first order decay model equations for estimating methane generated in the Determination. Additional provisions are included for the calculation of carbon stock remaining in the landfill where the 75 per cent capture efficiency rule applies. |
[99] | Corrects cross reference. |
[100] – [101] | Clarifies requirements for waste streams. |
[102] | Corrects cross reference. |
[103] | Clarifies heading. |
[104] | Corrects cross reference. |
[105] | Removes reference to the Tier 2 first order decay model in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Inventories. |
[106] | Inserts an additional provision allowing landfill operators to select decay rate constants (k values) based upon local temperature, rainfall and evaporation data. |
[107] | Corrects cross reference. |
[108] | Inserts sections describing key parameters used in the first order decay model: Methane Correction Factor (MCF), Methane fraction of landfill gas (F) and the number of months before methane generation commences at a landfill (M). |
Part 5.2 Solid waste disposal on land, Division 5.2.3 Method 2 — emissions of methane released from landfills
Item | Commentary |
[109] | Inserts provisions to deal with the calculation of emissions from sub-facility zones at the landfill and introduces a method 2 capture efficiency limit of 85 per cent for the landfill. |
[110] | Removes the reference to paragraph 5.13(3)(a). |
[111] | Inserts provisions covering the requirements for selecting sub-facility zones at the landfill. |
[112] | Inserts additional requirements for the selection of representative zones at the landfill. |
[113] – [114] | Grammatical clarifications. |
[115] | Amends the minimum frequency of measurement of methane collected in the representative zone. |
[116] | Introduces a requirement that a walkover survey must be conducted at least every 3 months. |
[117] | Introduces additional requirements associated with the identification of low, elevated and high methane emission areas during the walkover survey within the representative zone. |
[118] | Removes reference to the Guidance on monitoring landfill gas surface emissions, published by the United Kingdom Environment Agency, for the conduct of the walkover survey. |
[119] | Defines low, intermediate, elevated and high methane emission thresholds for the purposes of amendment [117]. |
[120] | Provides for the use of fixed default fugitive emission rates in areas of the representative zone corresponding to emission areas identified under amendment [117] and amends the equation for working out the minimum number of flux boxes to be used under method 2. |
[121] | Amends current provisions dealing with the calculation of decay rate constant (k) values for the representative zone. |
Part 5.2 Solid waste disposal on land, Division 5.2.4 Method 3 — emissions of methane released from solid waste at landfills
Item | Commentary |
[122] | Grammatical clarification. |
Part 5.2 Solid waste disposal on land, Division 5.2.7 Legacy waste and non‑legacy waste
Methods are required to support the separate reporting of emissions from the decay of legacy and non-legacy waste in order to support the Clean Energy Act 2011. A new division is inserted under the following amendment to provide for these methods.
Emissions from legacy waste – waste deposited at a landfill before 1 July 2012 – are counted towards a reporting threshold under NGERS but do not carry a liability under the Clean Energy Act 2011. Emissions from non-legacy waste – waste deposited at a landfill on or after 1 July 2012 – are covered by the carbon price mechanism.
Item | Commentary |
[123] | Introduces new provisions for the estimation of emissions from legacy and from non‑legacy waste deposited at a landfill. |
Part 5.3 Wastewater handling (domestic and commercial), Division 5.3.5 and Division 5.3.6
Amendments have been made in the wastewater calculations to ensure that treatment plants that do not include nitrification and denitrification stages in their process streams do not estimate emissions estimates of N2O within the plant. This amendment ensures consistency with the methods specified in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
Item | Commentary |
[124] | Inserts a separate equation for the calculation of Nin for primary wastewater treatment plants. |
[125] | Clarifies reference to open coastal waters (ocean and deep ocean). |
[126] | Reference to historical versions of the Protection of the Environment Operations (General) Regulation 2009 (NSW). |
[127] | Inserts a separate requirement for the measurement of Nin for primary wastewater treatment plants. |
Part 5.3 Wastewater handling (domestic and commercial), Division 5.3.8 Wastewater handling (domestic and commercial) — Flaring
Item | Commentary |
[128] | Grammatical clarification. |
Part 5.4 Wastewater handling (industrial), Division 5.4.5 Wastewater handling (industrial) — Flaring of methane in sludge biogas
Item | Commentary |
[129] | Grammatical clarification. |
CHAPTER 6: ENERGY
No changes.
CHAPTER 7: SCOPE 2 EMISSIONS
No changes.
CHAPTER 8: UNCERTAINTY
Part 8.4 How to assess uncertainty when using method 2, 3 or 4
Item | Commentary |
[130] – [131] | Amends requirements for the estimation of uncertainty for fugitive emissions from open cut coal mines when using higher order methods. |
SCHEDULE 1
Replacement of the black coal fuel type with three sub-categories – ‘bituminous coal,’ ‘sub‑bituminous coal’ and ‘anthracite.’
Update of the Scope 2 emission factors that are updated annually in line with dispatch decisions within the National Electricity Market made throughout the last financial year.
Item | Commentary |
[132] | Provides energy content and emission factors for three sub-categories of black coal – ‘bituminous coal,’ ‘sub-bituminous coal’ and ‘anthracite.’ |
[133] | Annual update of scope 2 emission factors reflecting changes within the National Electricity Market in the last financial year. |
SCHEDULE 3
An additional carbon content factor is required for natural gas distributed in a pipeline where the amount of natural gas may only be known in units of gigajoules. The following amendment provides for an additional carbon content factor for these cases.
Item | Commentary |
[134] | Inserts an additional carbon content factor for natural gas distributed in pipeline in units of tonnes of carbon per gigajoule of fuel. |
ATTACHMENT B
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Chapter 1: General
The following guidelines published by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) can be obtained at: http://www.acarp.com.au/abstracts.aspx?repId=C20005
- Guidelines for the Implementation of NGER Method 2 or 3 for Open Cut Coal Mine Fugitive GHG Emissions Reporting (C20005), (December 2011).
The following guidelines published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) can be obtained at: http://www.api.org/ehs/climate/new/upload/2009_GHG_COMPENDIUM.pdf
- Compendium of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Methodologies for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry, (August 2009).
Chapter 3: Fugitive emissions
The following guidelines published by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) can be obtained at: http://www.acarp.com.au/abstracts.aspx?repId=C20005
- Guidelines for the Implementation of NGER Method 2 or 3 for Open Cut Coal Mine Fugitive GHG Emissions Reporting (C20005), (December 2011).
The following guidelines published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) can be obtained at: http://www.api.org/ehs/climate/new/upload/2009_GHG_COMPENDIUM.pdf
- Compendium of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Methodologies for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry, (August 2009).
ATTACHMENT C
Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights