Atmospheric Emissions - Reporting

The UK is party to a number of international conventions and EU Directives that require the provision of atmospheric emission inventories, in particular:

• Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution 1979 and its protocols.
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992 (Rio Convention) and its protocols (e.g. Kyoto Protocol).
• EC Directive on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants 2001/81/EC. This is implemented in the UK through the National Emissions Ceilings Regulations 2002.
• EC Decision 93/389/EEC for a monitoring mechanism of Community CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions - European Pollutant Emissions Register (EPER).
• UN-ECE Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR)
• EC Regulation 166/2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR).
• EC Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Council Directive 96/61/EC (EU Emissions Trading Scheme - EU ETS).
• EC Directive 96/61 on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control.

CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme:

The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) is a mandatory scheme designed to :

• Promote energy efficiency
• Reduce carbon emssions
• Help businesses to save money by reducing their energy bills

CRC targets emissions that are not already covered by Climate Change Agreements or the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Organisations will be covered by the CRC if electricity is metered by at least one half hourly meter. Such organisations will need to comply fully with the CRC if half hourly metered electricity supply was 6,000MWh or more between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2008. Date for compliance is 30 September 2010. Guidance is available on compliance with CRC.

European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register
(E-PRTR)

Article 15(3) of the IPPC Directive requires the publication of an EC inventory of principal emissions and their sources. This provides information to the public, and helps authorities to assess the effectiveness of IPPC and identify priority areas. 

For the reporting year 2007 onwards this reporting system has been the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) under Council Regulation 166/2006. As a signatory state to the UNECE PRTR Protocol, the UK is also required to establish a national PRTR (UK-PRTR).

DECC collects emissions data for input to the UK-PRTR and the E-EPTR through the EEMS Reporting System (see below).

DECC already collects emissions data for offshore oil and gas activities via EEMS. As such, it is not a new E-PRTR sector, but the reporting requirements of EEMS in terms of substances and thresholds will need to be extended to meet those of the E-PRTR Regulation. In this context, Oil & Gas UK commissioned an analysis (which has now been completed) to identify emissions of all E-PRTR pollutants that are relevant from an offshore perspective. DECC and Oil & Gas UK will evaluate the results of this analysis to agree a way forward regarding compliance by the offshore industry with E-PRTR reporting requirements.

In addition, DECC will continue to work closely with Oil & Gas UK on the intention to use the provisions of existing offshore regulations (e.g. the Offshore IPPC Regulations) for the purposes of enforcing the E-PRTR reporting requirements and imposing penalties for non-compliance.

DECC will need to review and adjust accordingly the annual fees charged to operators for the maintenance of the EEMS database, in order to reflect new developments relating to E-PRTR/UK-PRTR reporting.

The Environmental Emissions Monitoring System (EEMS) was designed to permit the analysis of offshore (including terminals) oil industry environmental data, providing the offshore industry with an independent source of totalled environmental data on which to base its discussions with government or within the industry itself. The dataset is accessible to both Government (DECC) and industry (Oil & Gas UK) and acts as the primary data storage and reporting resource for both the UK Government and the offshore industry.

EEMS provides the vehicle for offshore oil and gas industry emissions to be incorporated into annual UK inventories of atmospheric emissions that are required under a number of international conventions and EU instruments (see above).

The EEMS reporting system now also includes a number of statutory reporting requirements, in particular reporting requirements under the Offshore Combustions Installations (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Regulations 2001 (as amended) (see Power Generation).

Not applicable

The methodology involves the application of emission factors to process information which includes:

• Fuel consumption in process turbines, heaters and engines;
• Flaring and venting volumes;
• Tanker loading volumes; and
• Number and type of components (fugitive emission est.).

The EEMS spreadsheets use generic emission factors as developed by Oil and Gas UK. However, platform or vessel specific factors should be used in place of the default factors as per specific PPL and EU ETS consent requirements.

An annual report of all atmospheric emissions from the following must be submitted:

• Production of oil and gas from offshore reservoirs, including loading operations;
• Onshore terminals engaged in processing/storing/loading; and
• Exploration, appraisal and development drilling rigs.

Emissions from support vessels, tankers on-route, helicopters and seismic vessels are not included, because these emissions are input by other sectors into the UK National Inventory.

Atmospheric emission data should be reported by completing the EEMSATMO form that can be downloaded from the EEMS Website.

The EEMS reporting form includes a number of calculations to assist in emission reporting. Additional guidance on completion of the form and factors used in the calculations can be obtained from the Guidance Notes, which is also on the EEMS website. .

Completed EEMS forms must be submitted by 7th February each year.

For wells, the completed EEMS form must be submitted one month after completion of drilling.