Amendments to National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting legislation

Read about the NGER legislation amendments for 2026–27. These changes do not apply to NGER reports due by 2 November 2026 for the 2025–26 reporting year.

Separately, the final stage of the phase-out of Method 1 for estimating fugitive methane emissions from open-cut coal mines covered by the Safeguard Mechanism commenced on 1 July 2026. From the 2026–27 reporting year, these mines must estimate fugitive emissions using Method 2 or Method 3. This change was introduced by the NGER (Measurement) Amendment (2024 Update) Determination 2024.
 

Amendments to the NGER legislation for 2025–26 apply to NGER reports due by November 2026, and include:

Renewable fuels

• Introducing market-based reporting of emissions from consumption of biomethane and hydrogen

Fugitive emissions from oil and natural gas operations

• Updating the emissions factors used in method 1 and method 2A for gas flared during oil and natural gas operations
• Making method 2B for estimating fugitive emissions from gas flared during natural gas production available to natural gas transmission and distribution facilities to expand access to facility-specific higher order methods
• Correcting an error in the contextual data to be reported when method 2B is used to estimate fugitive emissions from gas flared during natural gas production. The correction replaces unintentional references to ‘tonnes of flared crude oil and liquids’ with references to 'tonnes and gigajoules of flared gas'
• Adding the requirement to report the ‘tonnes of flared gas’ when methods 2, 2A or 3 is used to estimate fugitive emissions from flaring during natural gas operations are used. This update will help to support Australia’s domestic and international emissions reporting obligations and NGER Scheme compliance 

Waste

• Enabling reporting of the diversion of biosolids to biochar production
• Updating the N2O emission factor for effluent discharged to estuaries

Scope 2 emissions from consumption of electricity 

• Updating the market-based method
  • Adds a requirement for consistent use of the market-based method for all facilities within a controlling corporation’s group
  • Clarifies the permitted timing of surrender of renewable energy certificates used in calculating market-based emissions
  • Adds new matters to be identified under Schedule 4 – Renewable Energy Target accreditation codes for power stations within the facility, surrender ID numbers of surrendered certificates
• Updating location-based scope 2 electricity emission factors:
   

There are also other minor technical updates to improve clarity and operation of the scheme.

Public consultation on these amendments took place from 28 February to 11 April 2025. A summary of consultation outcomes is available on the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s consultation page, together with non-confidential submissions.

Visit the Federal Register of Legislation to learn more about amendments made to NGER legislation:

• NGER (Measurement) Amendment (2025 Update) for compilation 19
• NGER (Measurement) Amendment (2025 Update No. 2) for compilation 20
• NGER Regulations (Compilations 30–32)
  
   

Amendments to the NGER legislation for 2024–25 apply to NGER reports due by 31 October 2025 and include:

• adding method 2B to estimate fugitive methane and carbon dioxide emissions from flaring of gas in natural gas production, providing a mass balance approach
• an update to method 2 which estimates fugitive methane emissions from produced formation water occurring in oil or gas operations – this is to reflect onsite operations where the water has not been exposed to atmosphere and where facilities capture and recycle methane back into the gathering line rather than allowing it to dissolve into the resource pond and leak into the atmosphere
• alignment of the categorisation of specified instances of method 1 for estimating emissions of methane from natural gas venting activities that are consistent with method 2 requirements
• an update to method 2 for the estimation of fugitive emissions of greenhouse gases from the injection of a greenhouse gas into a geological formation to align with method 2 for onshore natural gas production
• reinstating a method which estimates emissions of methane from mud de gassing activities during oil or gas exploration and development
• enabling market-based reporting of scope 1 emissions from renewable liquid fuels when they are co-mingled with their fossil fuel equivalents and supplied through shared infrastructure
• adding matters to be identified when reporting the use of blended fuels for fuel combustion
• enabling identification of circumstances where there is an overlap between a company’s reported scope 1 and scope 2 emissions
• introduction of a reporting requirement for landfills reporting over 100 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to provide an estimate of gross emissions from non-legacy waste
• an update to the methods for estimating methane emissions released from landfills (other than from flaring of methane)
• updates to location-based scope 2 electricity emission factors.

Visit the Federal Register of Legislation to learn more about amendments made to NGER Legislation:

• NGER (Measurement) Amendment (2024 Update) Determination 2024 for Compilation 17
• NGER Legislation Amendment (Best Practice Emissions Intensities Update) Instrument 2024 for Compilation 18
• NGER Regulations (Compilations 28 and 29)

Amendments to the Measurement Determination for 2023–24 include:

• introduction of a voluntary market-based method for estimating scope 2 emissions (emissions associated with the consumption of electricity)
• an update to the method 1 emissions factor used to estimate emissions of methane from Queensland open cut coal mines
• an update to the methods for estimating methane emissions released from landfills (other than from flaring of methane)
• creation of two new biofuels: renewable diesel and renewable aviation kerosene
• updates to scope 2 electricity emission factors and addition of residual mix factors.

Amendments to the NGER Regulations for 2023–24 include:

• a new section which allows for the nomination of a multi-site cement production facility.

Visit the Federal Register of Legislation to learn more about amendments made to NGER Legislation:

• NGER (Measurement) Amendment (2023 Update) for Compilation 15
• NGER (Measurement) Amendment (2023 Update No. 2) for Compilation 16
• NGER Regulations (Compilations 25 – 27)

Amendments to the Determination for 2022–23 include:

• biomethane added as a new fuel type to allow reporting of emissions from generation and consumption of biomethane
• the creation of 2 new fuel types for end-of-life tyres:
  • 8A Passenger car tyres, if recycled and combusted to produce heat or electricity
  • 8B Truck and off-road tyres, if recycled and combusted to produce heat or electricity
• the addition of Part 2.67A Blended gaseous fuels to allow reporting of combustion of blends of gases from fossil and biogenic carbon sources
• updated provisions for reporting emissions from leakages in natural gas distribution networks, losses of hydrofluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride and decommissioned underground coal mines
• scope 2 electricity emission factors (kg CO₂-e/kWh) have been updated.

Visit the Federal Register of Legislation to learn more about amendments made in 2022.

Amendments to the Determination for 2021–22 included:

• A new source was introduced for emissions from hydrogen production at hydrogen production facilities whose primary product is hydrogen for use outside of the facility.
• The method for estimating fugitive emissions from the transport and injection of greenhouse gases for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has been expanded to include Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) where it is conducted for commercial reasons as part of oil and gas production.
• Natural gas production or processing has been split into separate sources: onshore natural gas production; offshore natural gas production; natural gas gathering and boosting; and natural gas processing. New sources have also been introduced for natural gas storage; natural gas liquefaction, storage and transfer; and produced water.
• The methods for estimating fugitive emissions from oil and natural gas facilities have been updated to reflect the latest available research, including results of Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs.
• Method 2 for emissions of methane from the combustion of gaseous fuels has been updated to allow for the use of more detailed and up-to-date emissions factors.
• Method 3 has been introduced for fugitive emissions from crude oil refining and from storage tanks for crude oil, which allows estimation using component emissions factors from section 6.1.3 of the API Compendium.
• Matters to be identified (MTBIs) have been updated for the sources: crude oil production; crude oil transport; crude oil transport; and crude oil refining.
• Fuel item 33 has been renamed to ‘Crude oil’ (previously ‘Crude oil including crude oil condensates’), and has been redefined.
• Fuel item 34 has been renamed ‘Plant condensate and other natural gas liquids not covered by another item’ (previously ‘Other natural gas liquids not covered by another item in this table’), and has been redefined.
• Scope 2 electricity emission factors (kg CO₂-e/kWh) have been updated:

Visit the Federal Register of Legislation to learn more about amendments made in 2021.

Amendments to the Determination for 2020–21 included:

• Updates to constants and emission factors for various methods, and emission factors in Parts 1 to 4 of Schedule 1, to reflect changes to GWP described in regulation 2.02 of the Regulations.
• Updated scope 2 emission factors (kg CO₂-e/kWh) as per the table below:

• New definitions, to clarify the matters to be identified related to fugitive emissions from oil and gas, as described in Part 2 of Schedule 3 of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Regulations 2008.

Visit the Federal Register of Legislation to learn more about amendments made in 2020.