NGER greenhouse gases are the gases listed in section 7A of the NGER Act, plus any gas prescribed by regulation. Reporters also account for the energy their facilities produce and consume.
Key points
- Covers carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride, and specified hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons
- Gases are converted to CO2-e using the global warming potentials in regulation 2.02
- Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions are reported facility by facility
- Energy production and consumption are reported by fuel and energy commodity
- Only activities with a method in the Measurement Determination are reported
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
- Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
- Specified hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
- Specified perfluorocarbons
How the gases are combined
Each gas is converted to carbon dioxide equivalence (CO2-e) by multiplying the amount released by its global warming potential. The values are set in regulation 2.02 of the NGER Regulations, so every reporter uses the same factors. Methane has a value of 28, nitrous oxide 265 and sulphur hexafluoride 23,500, so 1 tonne of methane is reported as 28 t CO2-e.
Scope 1 and Scope 2
Scope 1 emissions are released directly by the activities that make up a facility, such as fuel combustion, industrial processes and fugitive emissions. Scope 2 emissions are released outside the facility to generate the electricity, heating, cooling or steam the facility consumes. A facility that consumes more than 20,000 kWh of purchased or acquired electricity in a year must report Scope 2 using the location-based method.
Energy production and consumption
Energy is produced when it is extracted or captured from natural sources, or converted from one form to another, such as solar energy to electricity. Energy is consumed when it is used or disposed of, including own use and losses. Both are reported by fuel and energy commodity. Net energy consumption subtracts the energy content of the secondary fuels and energy commodities a facility produces. Battery energy storage systems are not reported as producing electricity. Only their conversion losses, storage losses and auxiliary power use are reported.
Units
Section 1.15 of the Measurement Determination sets the units: solid fuels in tonnes, liquid fuels in kilolitres, gaseous fuels in cubic metres at standard conditions, energy content in gigajoules and emissions in tonnes CO2-e.
What is out of scope
Only activities with an applicable method in the NGER Measurement Determination need to be reported. Scope 3 emissions are not reported under NGER. The Clean Energy Regulator also does not collect data from agriculture, land use, land use change, forestry, private vehicle transport or residential sources.
References & sources
Primary regulatory documents and authoritative references underpinning this answer.
- Clean Energy Regulator: Emissions and energy typescer.gov.au
- Clean Energy Regulator: Global warming potentialcer.gov.au
- National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (section 7A)legislation.gov.au
- National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Regulations 2008 (regulations 2.02 and 2.23 to 2.26)legislation.gov.au