DO YOU COMPLY?
Does my organisation need to report?
Your organisation may not have needed to report last year, but with this year’s reduced corporate threshold, it may be important to measure your GHG emissions and energy data and find out where your organisation stands in relation to the 2009-10 NGER thresholds.
In this second reporting year, your organisation will be required to report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy produced and energy consumed under NGER if any of the thresholds are crossed:
• GHG emissions exceed 87.5 kT CO2e at the Corporate level or 25 kT CO2e at a given Facility.
• Energy produced or consumed exceeds 350 TJ at the Corporate level or 100 TJ at the Facility level.
Note that thresholds at the Corporate level will reduce in stages over the next 2 years, so an increasing number of Corporations will be required to register and report.
When should I get started?
- Systems: Your internal energy and GHG emissions data systems should be in place by 1st July 2009 so you can commence data collection.
- Data Collection: You must commence collecting relevant data for the first reporting period from 1st July 2009.
- Registration: If you need to report under NGER in the second reporting period, you must register with the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency by 31st August 2010.
- Reporting: Reports for the first reporting period are due by 31st October 2010.
What activities must I report?
- Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) emissions of any of the following 6 types of greenhouse gases:
Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N20), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6).
- Energy produced (in TJ)
- Energy consumed (in TJ)
Are you prepared?
- Have you correctly identified who has the reporting responsibility (operational control) and what the reporting boundaries are?
- Do you have an internal system for recording your energy and GHG data?
- Is the data being recorded with sufficient accuracy and transparency to meet the reporting requirements?
- Are you aware of all the potential emissions sources and energy production/consumption activities which need to be reported?
- Have you included all relevant contractor activities?
- Have you included all relevant fugitive emissions?
Note: kT CO2e = thousands of tonnes of GHG in carbon dioxide equivalents
TJ = TeraJoules = 1 x 1012 Joules
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Under the NGER Act, there are significant penalties for non-compliance. The recently introduced NGER Audit Framework outlines the methodology that the Greenhouse and Energy Data Officer (GEDO) will use to monitor compliance with NGER.
Requirement |
Penalty ($AU) |
Per Day Overdue ($AU) |
Obligation to apply to register threshold (emission or energy) |
2,000 x 113.42 = $226,840 |
100 x 113.42
= $11,342 |
Emission or Energy Report to be given to Greenhouse and Energy Data Officer |
2,000 x 113.42
= $226,840 |
100 x 113.42
= $11,342 |
Liability of other persons to provide emission or energy information |
2,000 x 113.42
= $226,840
(organisation)
400 x 113.42
= $45,368
(individual)) |
100 x 113.42
= $11,342
(organisation)
100 x 113.42
= $11,342
(individual) |
Reports content relating to greenhouse gas projects / offsets of greenhouse gas emissions |
1,000 x 113.42
= $113,420 |
|
Records to be kept of the activities of the members of a group |
1,000 x 113.42
= $113,420 |
|
Records to be kept of a person’s activities |
1,000 x 113.42= $113,420
(organisation)
200 x 113.42
= $22,684
(individual) |
|
Authorised officer may request persons to answer questions |
10 x 113.42
= $1,134.20 |
|
Occupier to provide authorised officer with all facilities and assistance |
10 x 113.42
= $1,134.20 |
|
Power to request information – compliance |
50 x 113.42
= $5,671 |
|
Power to request information – misleading information |
60 x 113.42
= $6,805.20 |
|
External audits – compliance |
1,000 x 113.42
= $113,420
(organisation)
200 x 113.42
= $22,684
(individual) |
10 x 113.42
= $1,134.20
(organisation)
10 x 113.42
= $1,134.20
(individual) |
External audits – other |
250 x 113.42
= $28,355
(organisation)
50 x 113.42
= $5,671
(individual) |
|
* based on penalty unit value for 2008-09 financial year ($113.42 per penalty unit) from the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Council, www.ocpc.vic.gov.au/CA2572B3001B894B/pages/faqs-penalty-and-fee-units
