News
LRQA now offers accredited verification to EU ETS Aviation - Aug 10
Updated Operators Listing with administering Member State - Aug 10
Newly approved tool for small emitters - Aug 10
LRQA reach EU ETS Aviation audience in recent live webinar - Oct 09
Aircraft operators listing published - Aug 09
New Deadline for the Submission of Emissions Monitoring Plans - Aug 09
August 31st deadline update - Jul 09
Environment Agency launch EU ETS Aviation website - Jun 09
View example Monitoring Plan application documents - Jun 09
Accredited verifier list expected in 2010 - Jun 09
LRQA now offers accredited verification to EU ETS Aviation
[August 17, 2010] LRQA today announces that it is one of only three organisations that has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to now include Aviation within its EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) verification service.
It was increasing concerns over the aviation industry’s contribution towards global climate change that led to the EU introducing this legislation requiring aircraft operators to monitor and report on their emissions.
LRQA was part of the consortium working for the European Commission to develop monitoring, reporting and verification guidelines for aviation’s inclusion within the EU ETS and is in an ideal position to help companies achieve verification.
We have extensive international greenhouse gas emissions verification experience and to date have verified in excess of 540 million tonnes of CO2 under the scheme, for some of the world’s best known brands.
Commenting on the news, Madlen King, Global Head of Climate Change said: “UKAS has granted LRQA an extension to our existing scope of accreditation to ISO 14065, the international standard which sets out requirements for bodies undertaking Greenhouse Gas (GHG) validation or verification using internationally recognised standards - such as ISO 14064 and PAS 2050, as well as the EU ETS. In essence, this provides very real assurance to airline operators that the verification body they choose is up to the job.
“We are delighted to be in the first tranche of organisations to offer accredited verification. Our expertise and knowledge will help our clients better prepare to meet their obligations under this legislation,” she concludes.
Organisations looking for a better understanding of their requirements under the Directive 2008/101/EC could benefit from our briefings and workshops which can be developed with specific business needs in mind. Those looking to gauge the robustness of their ability to meet the requirements of the EU ETS can choose from a range of pre-verification services such as gap analyses. In 2010 LRQA verifiers can undertake both baseline (TKM) and annual verifications reviewing the implemented operational monitoring system.
Updated Operators Listing with administering Member State
The list of aircraft operators established by Regulation (EC) No 748/2009 aims to reduce the administrative burden on aircraft operators by providing for a single Member State to be responsible for each aircraft operator, so that each operator knows which Member State it will be regulated by and each Member State is clear on which operators it should regulate.
The Directive aims to reduce the administrative burden on aircraft operators by allowing a single Member State to be responsible for each aircraft operator. This means that each operator knows which Member State it will be regulated by and in turn, the Member State will be clear on which operators it should regulate.
The European Commission has an updated list of aircraft operators that have undertaken a relevant aviation activity on or after 1 January 2006. This list specifies the Member State responsible for each aircraft operator.
The updated list includes changes including removals and adjustments that have been made to reflect the state flights made by non-EU aircraft operators.
Newly approved tool for small emitters
On 9th July 2010, the Commission adopted a Regulation on the approval of a simplified tool for use by small emitters.
It has been recognised that certain aircraft operators responsible for a limited number of flights per year or with small emissions of carbon dioxide should be able to use a simplified method in determining fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
This approach to monitoring is based on fuel consumption estimation tools, which generally use statistical information that relates fuel consumption to distance flown.
The simplified tool for small emitters has been developed by the European organisation for air safety navigation (Eurocontrol) to estimate the fuel consumption of certain small emitting aircraft operators. Further information is available on the Eurocontrol websiteLRQA reach EU ETS Aviation audience in recent live webinar
The latest in the LRQA Business Assurance Webinar series, "EU ETS and Aviation" featured Lloyd Register Group's Global Climate Change Manager and leading expert Madlen King.
There were two sessions with identical content, one 09:30 UK time (for European and Asian attendees) and the second one at 11:30 EST (for North and South American attendees).
The sessions featured a 20-minute update on the EU ETS amendments, followed by a Q&A session. Madlen answered over 15 attendee questions during the morning session and a further 10 in the afternoon session. Following the first Q&A session, Madlen gave a 25-minute technical overview on the Implementation of appropriate systems for Monitoring and Reporting Guidelines. A second Q&A on technical issues closed out both of the webinars.
22 Nations were represented in the audience, with the USA, UK, Bulgaria, India and Romania having the highest attendance.
The strong audience participation combined with Madlen King's technical expertise created two interactive sessions that led to a stronger understanding of the implications of the EU ETS amendments and the effect they will have on the aviation industry.
Watch the recorded webinar: EU ETS and Aviation
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Part 1 - Overview of EU ETS requirements for Aviation (32 mins) |
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Part 2 - Implementation of appropriate systems for Monitoring and Reporting Guidelines (24 mins) |
Aircraft operators listing published
The European Commission adopted on the 5 August 2009 a list of aircraft operators that have undertaken a relevant aviation activity on or after 1 January 2006, specifying the administering Member State for each aircraft operator. This is scheduled to be officially published on 22 August in the Official Journal, due to the interest in this list an advance copy is available here. Additional information about revised list will be available soon on this website, so please check for updates.
Also a consolidated version of the Directive has also been published. This integrates the aviation part of the legislation with the requirements applicable to other sectors included in the EU ETS.http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/aviation_en.htm
New Deadline for the Submission of Emissions Monitoring Plans
Important information for all aircraft operators regulated by the UK
All operators included in the Aviation EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and allocated to the UK for regulation must submit an emissions monitoring plan to their UK regulator outlining how they will determine their reportable annual CO2 emissions. The deadline envisaged for this was 31 August 2009.However, in order for UK regulators to require aircraft operators to submit emissions monitoring plans there needs to be a firm and agreed list of operators allocated to each EU Member State for regulation (“the list”) published by the European Commission.As we are relying on the list in domestic legislation to identify operators subject to UK regulation, until the list is published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) the UK Government is legally unable to lay before Parliament its first stage Regulations transposing the Aviation EU ETS Directive.
The earliest we are expecting the European Commission to publish the list is around the end of July 2009. The Regulations will be laid before Parliament shortly after the European Commission has published the list. The Regulations will come into force no fewer than 21 days after being laid before Parliament. The deadline for the application of emissions plan is therefore no longer 31st August 2009. An updated timetable for this process is set out later on in this note.
To provide early sight of the requirements the Regulations will place upon aircraft operators covered by EU ETS, the UK Government has published the final draft of its first stage Regulations for information only. The Regulations and other relevant documents can be found on the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) aviation webpage at:
Taking the requirements of the Regulations into consideration, the following summary outlines the timeline that applies to the submission of the first emissions monitoring plan to your UK Regulator:
- Aircraft Operators(1) are required to apply to their Regulator for an emission plan no later than 8 weeks after the first stage Regulations come into force
- Regulators are required to issue an approved plan or refuse to issue a plan within 4 months of receiving an application for a plan.
- Aircraft Operators who wish to submit an application for a benchmarking plan in connection with application for free allocation must do so by 31 December 2009.
- The Regulator has discretion to submit reports of tonne kilometre data where late applications for benchmarking plans are received.
(1) The Regulations define an aircraft operator as a person who is a UK specified operator (i.e. allocated to the UK for regulation under the EU ETS by means of the Commission’s list allocating aircraft operators to Member States) and performs an aviation activity (as defined in Annex I of the Aviation EU ETS Directive) in that year. If a person becomes an aircraft operator after the Regulations come into force then they must apply to the regulator for an emissions plan within 8 weeks of becoming an aircraft operator.
Based on the above timeline, the deadline for submission of an application for an emissions plan will be approximately 11 weeks from the date the European Commission publishes the list in OJEU.
Aircraft Operators assigned to the UK as the administering Member State will be required to submit their proposed monitoring plans to the Environment Agency, or other UK regulators, using a web-based application system. We are planning to make this system available to all aircraft operators who appear on the list allocated to the UK as administering Member State. Soon after the list is published we will provide secure login details to all aircraft operators who have provided the relevant contact information so that they can start to complete their on-line monitoring plan(s). Aircraft Operators will not, however, be able to submit their plan(s) until after the Regulations come into force.
If an aircraft operator has not provided contact details to the Environment Agency it is essential that they do so, as failure to provide the details will mean that they will not be able to gain access the system.
We strongly advise operators to continue the process of developing their plans, using the guidance and example plans available on the Environment Agency website. When developing plans it is important that you refer to the most up-to-date monitoring plan templates, as the web-based application system will require at least the same information as the current Commission templates. The most up-to-date templates can be obtained from the following link to the Commission’s website:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/emission/mrg_templates_en.htm
When the list is published and the Regulations laid before Parliament we will email you again with the definitive deadline for the submission of your emissions plan.
Failure to submit an emissions plan by this deadline will result in a penalty, as set out in the regulations.
Please visit the Environment Agency’s website (http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/pollution/107596.aspx) which is a vital source of information for aircraft operators regulated by the UK under EU ETS.
Defra announces a delay in August 31st deadline for submission of monitoring plans. The revised deadline has not yet been decided however for further information please visit a copy of the announcement by clicking this link: on the defra website
Environment Agency launch EU ETS Aviation website
The UK Environment Agency has launched the EU ETS Aviation section of their website aimed at operators needing to comply with the new Regulations. This includes published Guidance to the Commission’s Monitoring and Reporting Guidelines. These are available by clicking this link: UK Environment Agency
There are also example Monitoring Plan application documents available Here
View example Monitoring Plan application documents
Latest templates for Monitoring Plan applications available from the EU working group from the Climate Change Committee (Temporary Committee on Climate Change) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/tempcom/clim/default_en.htm
Accredited verifier list expected in 2010
LRQA's Global Greenhouse GasTechncial Manager, Madlen King is part of the team re-writing the Guidance for Recognition of Verification Bodies under EU ETS Directive [EA 6/03]. She can confirm this document is expected to be published towards the end of 2009 so allowing time for appropriate public consultation.
It is likely therefore the Competent Authorities will publish a list of accredited verification bodies early 2010. Organisations will therefore not be able to have accredited verification visits until this time.
please visit: www.european-accreditation.org for further information
