UK ETS permitting, monitoring, reporting and verification

If you carry out an activity covered by the UK ETS, you will need a greenhouse gas emissions permit. Operators apply for and receive their permits and submit their reports via the Manage your UK Emissions Trading Scheme reporting system (METS) previously used under the UK ETS.

Operators should read and understand their permit, and the conditions within relating to monitoring and reporting obligations, as well as those requiring third-party verification of reportable emissions and activity levels.

Permits and emissions monitoring plans are issued by the UK ETS Regulators.

Applying for a GHG permit

You apply for a new GHGE permit using METS and providing your application has been completed correctly and contains all the necessary information you will be issued with a GHGE permit. Your permit will include conditions that require you to:

monitor and report your reportable greenhouse gas emissions
monitor and report your reportable activity levels (installations eligible for free allocation of allowances only)
surrender allowances equal to your reportable emissions
notify your regulator of changes in monitoring capability or installation activities

Permit conditions

To comply with the emissions-related conditions in your permit, you must complete the tasks in the UK ETS annual cycle by the specified deadlines. If you do not, your regulator may take enforcement action which could result in a civil penalty.

A scheme year is a calendar year.

Annual tasks and compliance deadlines related to emissions

January – start monitoring your emissions and activity levels where relevant

31 March – submit your annual emissions report and where relevant your activity level report and verification report/s for the previous scheme year using METS
30 April – surrender allowances that are equal to your reportable emissions in the previous scheme year in the UK ETS registry
30 June – submit improvement reports (if applicable) using METS
July – appoint an appropriate accredited verifier, if you have not already done so
30 September – submit an application for a site visit waiver, if required
December – consider starting to prepare your annual emissions report
31 December – notify your regulator of any non-significant changes to your monitoring plan using METS
31 December – complete your emissions monitoring for that scheme year

Monitor your emissions and activity levels

You must monitor your reportable emissions and activity levels where relevant from 1 January to 31 December in each scheme year.

You must monitor in accordance with:

your approved emissions monitoring plan and MMP(activity level Monitoring Methodology Plan) for free allocation sites (including any written procedures supplementing that plan)
the requirements of the The Monitoring and Reporting Regulation and the Free Allocation Regulation

You use the emissions and activity level data collected during your monitoring to produce your annual emissions and activity level reports.

New permitting, monitoring, reporting and verification system from August 2023

The UK ETS Authority has developed a new digital permitting, monitoring, reporting and verification (PMRV) system named METS (Manage your UK Emissions Trading Scheme reporting). METS has replaced the previous system ETSWAP since August 2023.

METS has been implemented in collaboration with UK regulators, with inputs from different users of the system including operators and verifiers.

METS for operators and verifiers of installations

UK operators and verifiers of installations will use METS for UKETS compliance activities, including submission of annual emission reports.

Further guidance:

METS for operators and verifiers of aircraft

METS is used for the UK ETS and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction for International Aviation (CORSIA) compliance activities, including submission of annual emission reports. The previous system ETSWAP was used up to autumn 2023.

Further guidance:

Verification

The Verification Regulation 2018 (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2067 of 18 December 2018 as modified requires verifiers to be a legal person or another legal entity that is carrying out verification activities for the purpose of UK ETS and is accredited by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS).

There is no requirement for UK ETS accredited verifiers to have a physical office in the UK or to be a legal entity registered in the UK.

UKAS is responsible for the accreditation and supervision of verifiers in the UK and for maintaining a list of those verifiers.

Operators are responsible for ensuring that their verifier is accredited for the relevant scope of work. Details of a verifier’s scope of accreditation can be found on the verifier’s certificate of accreditation.

If you are a verification body accredited to perform verification in the UK ETS for the first time, you will need a METS account to view your client’s reports and to submit your verification opinion statement.

To do this for installations, email us, quoting METS Support in your subject line, at GHGHelp@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

To do this for aviation, email us, quoting METS Support in your subject line, at GHGHelp@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

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