What are the NGER reporting thresholds?

NGER has facility and corporate group thresholds. A facility meets a threshold at 25,000 t CO2-e of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, or 100 TJ of energy produced or consumed. A corporate group meets one at 50,000 t CO2-e, or 200 TJ produced or consumed. Meeting any single threshold creates registration and reporting obligations.

NGER Reporting Thresholds: Facility And Corporate

The NGER reporting thresholds are set in section 13 of the NGER Act. An obligation starts when a controlling corporation’s group meets any one of six thresholds, three for individual facilities and three for the whole corporate group.

Key points

Facility thresholds: 25,000 t CO2-e, or 100 TJ of energy produced or consumed
Corporate group thresholds: 50,000 t CO2-e, or 200 TJ produced or consumed
Emissions are Scope 1 and Scope 2 combined
Contractor and sub-contractor activities count toward the thresholds
Once a corporate threshold is met, all group facilities are reported

Facility thresholds

A facility meets a threshold if, in a financial year, it has:

25,000 t CO2-e or more of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions
production of 100 TJ or more of energy
consumption of 100 TJ or more of energy

Corporate group thresholds

A controlling corporation’s group meets a threshold if the facilities under the operational control of the group together have:

50,000 t CO2-e or more of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions
production of 200 TJ or more of energy
consumption of 200 TJ or more of energy

Which facilities must then be reported

If the group triggers only facility thresholds, the report covers only those facilities. Once a corporate group threshold is met, every facility under the group’s operational control is reported, whether or not each facility meets a facility threshold on its own. In some cases, facilities that are each below the facility thresholds can be reported together as a facility aggregate.

What counts toward a threshold

When estimating against the thresholds, the corporation must include every activity at the facilities under its operational control, including the activities of contractors and sub-contractors. Energy production is reportable and contributes to a facility’s threshold. Emissions are measured as Scope 1 and Scope 2 combined, so a site with modest direct emissions but heavy grid electricity use can still cross a threshold.

Testing and late discovery

The Clean Energy Regulator provides a threshold calculator to help test whether a threshold is likely to be met, starting from bills for gas, electricity, diesel and other fuels. A corporation that finds it met a threshold in an earlier year must still register and report for that year, and should contact the Regulator.

References & sources

Primary regulatory documents and authoritative references underpinning this answer.