Defra carbon factors updated
The official 2017 UK carbon emission factors were belatedly published by Defra in August. As well as a further sharp fall in the carbon intensity of grid electricity, a number of other changes were announced.
These include new carbon factors for electric vehicles, overnight hotel stays and a significant rise in well-to-tank (WTT) factors for many fuels, which are those associated with the extraction and processing of fuels. Most other changes are relatively minor. These factors should generally be used for company greenhouse gas reporting until the next factors are published in mid-2018.
The EU’s non-financial reporting directive (NFRD), intended to harmonise minimum non-financial reporting standards, will apply to financial years starting on or after 1st January 2017. The first reports captured by this legislation are thus likely to be published in the first quarter of 2018.
Eligible companies should disclose information on policies, risks and results relating to environment, social and employee-related aspects, human rights, anti-corruption, and boardroom diversity. It will apply to listed companies and certain financial institutions with more than 500 employees, including most banks and insurance companies.
Many affected UK companies may already be reporting similar information under the 2014 amendment to the 2006 Companies Act. Organisations who think they may be affected should check their current reporting against the legislation, which can be found here. Inenco have produced a summary of potential areas for disclosure, which can be accessed here.
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
As we enter the final quarter of the calendar year, it’s a good time for EUETS participants to carry out final checks, including:
Energy Intensive Industries compensation scheme
Proposed changes to the EII compensation schemes are likely to be formally approved by Parliament in the coming months. Qualification will be based on the criteria which currently applies to the RO and FiT exemptions.
Draft legislation around the Contracts for Difference Exemption is still to be approved by Parliament and may take effect from late 2017.
Meanwhile, the Renewables Obligation compensation scheme should be converted to an exemption scheme, provisionally from 1st of January 2018. It is anticipated that the Feed-In Tariff compensation will likewise be converted to exemption in due course.
BEIS have recently published a list of companies that already claim EII compensation. Over 130 companies have signed up, with annual cost savings expected to come to over £100m.
ISO 50001
An updated draft of ISO’s energy management system standard is currently under consultation. This contains a provisional new clause requiring the implementing organisation to continually improve its energy performance. If present in the final standard, this would make this requirement explicit for the first time.