Safeguard facility reported emissions 2018–19

The safeguard mechanism applies to all facilities that emit more than 100,000 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂-e) emissions in a financial year (the reporting year). Emissions from covered facilities are reported through the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting scheme, by 31 October following each financial year.

Responsible emitters for covered facilities must ensure that they are not in an excess emissions situation on or after 1 March following each reporting year, and have a number of options available to manage any excess emissions.

The Clean Energy Regulator is required to publish information about all covered facilities for each reporting year. Information published includes the baseline emissions number in force for that year, total reported emissions, the responsible emitter(s) for each facility, and any Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs) surrendered.

Under the safeguard mechanism, the Clean Energy Regulator is also required to publish emissions for grid-connected electricity generator facilities. See electricity sector emissions and generation data for more information.

2018–19 Reporting year summary

Notes about this publication

Baseline number:

• Where a facility has both a reported baseline and a calculated baseline, the calculated baseline will be ‘current’, until such time as it expires.
• If a facility has had more than one calculated baseline determination made, the most recently made one will be the baseline that is ‘current’.
• Where a facility has had its baseline temporarily varied due to improved emissions intensity, the variation will be ‘current’, for that particular financial year.
• Baselines that are withheld may be pending the submission of an application, or a decision under, section 25 of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (NGER Act).

Multi-year monitoring period determinations:

• Under section 65 of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Safeguard Mechanism) Rule 2015 (Safeguard Rule), responsible emitters may apply to the Clean Energy Regulator for a multi-year monitoring period to be declared in relation to a facility.
• At the end of a multi-year monitoring period, the baseline for the facility is calculated by dividing the total of the baselines that would apply to the facility in each year of the multi-year monitoring period, by the total number of days in the multi-year monitoring period. This single baseline applies to the two or three year period. For multi-year monitoring periods that ended in 2018-19, the aggregate baseline is displayed in the ‘MYMP baseline number’ column.
  • For facilities that are partway through a multi-year monitoring period, the ‘MYMP baseline number’ column will show as n/a.
  • For data about the baseline that would apply to a facility for each year of the multi-year monitoring period, see the Multi-year monitoring period table.
• For facilities that have a multi-year monitoring period in place, the net emissions number is the total covered emissions from the facility over the entire two or three year period, plus or minus any Australian carbon credit units issued or surrendered over the period. The ‘MYMP net emissions number’ will be populated for facilities with multi-year monitoring periods that ended in 2018-19.
  • This column will show as ‘n/a’, until the multi-year monitoring period has been completed.
  • For data about the covered emissions reported for each year of the multi-year monitoring period, see the Multi-year monitoring period table.

Baseline variation for an improvement in emissions intensity:

• Under section 46 of the Safeguard Rule, responsible emitters may apply to the Clean Energy Regulator for a facility’s baseline to be varied, where they can demonstrate that the emissions intensity at a facility has improved.
• Provided the relevant tests are met, the facility’s baseline is varied to the level of covered emissions from the facility, for a particular financial year.
• The 2018-19 compliance period is the last year emissions intensity baseline variations are available.

ACCUs issued at a safeguard facility:

• To avoid counting offsets twice, a facility that is covered by the safeguard mechanism and also generates ACCUs under the Emissions Reduction Fund will have any ACCUs that are issued during a financial year, added to its net emissions number.
• This means that an affected safeguard facility’s net emissions number will be the total amount of covered emissions for the year, plus the total amount of ACCUs issued, minus any ACCUs surrendered.

The Clean Energy Regulator takes all reasonable efforts to ensure the information published on its website is accurate at the time of publication.

2018–19 Safeguard facilities data

The table below is a list of facilities covered under the safeguard mechanism for the 2018–19 reporting year.