Developing the UK ETSThe UK ETS Authority – made up of the UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland – is seeking stakeholder views on proposals to develop the UK ETS which operates across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Audience
This consultation is open to all, but we expect it to be of particular interest to:
- individual companies and representatives of industrial, power and aviation sectors with obligations under the UK ETS
- environmental groups
- individual companies and representatives of maritime, waste, greenhouse gas removals and agricultural sectors
To note, this consultation does not apply to NI electricity generators who participate in the EU ETS by virtue of the Ireland / Northern Ireland Protocol.
Contents
Chapter 1 sets out proposals for changes to align the UK ETS cap and trajectory with our net zero target.
Chapter 2 considers the role of Free Allocation policy as a carbon leakage mitigation tool in the context of the net zero aligned cap. It also puts forward potential improvements to the current Free Allocation regime based on stakeholder views expressed in response to the 2019 consultation on carbon pricing and the call for evidence on free allocation in 2021.
Chapter 3 sets out proposals for bringing in unallocated allowances and/or the flexible share to the market.
Chapter 4 calls for evidence on potential drivers of evolving market conditions in the UK ETS and objectives for market stability policy as the scheme evolves.
Chapter 5 sets out the scope of the review into UK ETS aviation policy. This includes proposals on the future of aviation free allocation, considering responses to the 2019 consultation on carbon pricing, the 2021 call for evidence, and UK government commissioned economic research. It also considers how the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) could be incentivised under the UK ETS and options for expanding the coverage of the scheme within the aviation sector.
Chapter 6 sets out proposals and calls for evidence on possible changes to the rules for sectors currently covered by the UK ETS to ensure more greenhouse gas emissions are covered by the scheme.
Chapter 7 sets out proposals to expand the scope of the UK ETS to the domestic maritime sector and calls for evidence on expanding the UK ETS to include waste incineration and energy from waste.
Chapter 8 calls for early views on the incorporation of greenhouse gas removal (GGR) into the UK ETS and the monitoring, reporting and verification requirements necessary to address greenhouse gas emissions in the land use and agriculture sectors. We do not propose expanding the UK ETS to agriculture.
Chapter 9 sets out proposed amendments to support effective operation of the UK ETS by addressing a number of operational issues identified during the development of policy and legislation for the scheme.
Your data
Please note that your responses will be shared with members of the UK ETS Authority as well as the UK Government.
Read the BEIS consultation privacy notice.
Analytical annex
The analytical annex provides an overview of the factors influencing the impacts of the consultation proposals. It does not reflect the full evidence base on which decisions will be taken, nor the full evidence base on which proposals have been developed. It is not a formal impact assessment. We will seek to gain further evidence as part of this consultation.
Aviation study: Impacts of carbon pricing on the UK aviation sector
Frontier Economics have published a study - Impacts of carbon pricing on the UK aviation sector - commissioned by the Department for Transport and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Related content
The UK ETS Authority and regulators have published guidance for existing scheme participants, which is regularly updated.
Register NI stakeholder event interest
A series of stakeholder events will be held by the UK ETS Authority across the UK during the consultation period from April to May 2022. In Northern Ireland these will be jointly delivered by BEIS and DAERA. If you would like to register your interest in the NI stakeholder event please email DevelopETS@daera-ni.gov.uk with your contact details.
The Government response to this consultation, issued on 3 July 2023, can be found here.