2011
November 2011: 3.5 million allowances were distributed in the twenty third Phase II EU ETS auction. The auction cleared at €9.72 (£8.30). Full details of the auction results are published on the UK Debt Management Office: EU ETS Auction info web pages.
17 October 2011: DECC released a letter seeking information from businesses in relation to the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) – specifically, the expected use of the Phase II New Entrant Reserve (NER) for the remainder of the phase up to the end of 2012.
If you are planning to commence new activities, or extend existing ones, covered under the EU ETS before 31 December 2012, you may be eligible to receive free allowances from the NER. These allowances can be used to account for the emissions resulting from these new activities. To help us plan for the final stages of phase II, in particular the potential auctioning of any surplus allowances from the NER, we would welcome an indication of the estimated allowances potentially required for, and the timing of, any new EU ETS activities foreseen before the end of next year.
Please email responses to eu.ets@decc.gsi.gov.uk with the title ‘Phase II NER estimates’ by 12 December 2011.
October 2011: 3.5 million allowances were distributed in the twenty second Phase II EU ETS auction. The auction cleared at €10.38 (£8.97). Full details of the auction results are published on the UK Debt Management Office website.
September 2011: 3.5 million allowances were distributed in the twenty first Phase II EU ETS auction. The auction cleared at €12.31 (£10.87). Full details of the auction results are published on the UK Debt Management Office website.
18 July 2011: The Government today publishes an informal consultation on regulating auctions of EU emissions allowances.
The UK currently auctions EU emissions allowances through the Debt Management Office. Changes to the EU ETS from 2013 mean that national auctions must take place on regulated markets, rather than by government agencies. Full details can be found on the HM Treasury: Regulating auctions of EU emissions allowances web page.
July 2011: 3.5 million allowances were distributed in the twentieth Phase II EU ETS auction. The auction cleared at €13.17 (£11.79). Full details of the auction results are published on the UK Debt Management Office website.
June 2011: UK questionnaire response to the European Commission consultation on New State aid Guidelines in the context of the amended EU Emissions Trading System.
June 2011: 3.5 million allowances were distributed in the nineteenth Phase II EU ETS auction. The auction cleared at €16.34 (£14.53). Full details of the auction results are published on the UK Debt Management Office website.
March 2011: 4.4 million allowances were distributed in the eighteenth Phase II EU ETS auction. The auction cleared at €15.59 (£13.34). Full details of the auction results are published on the UK Debt Management Office website.
18 February 2011: Today the UK notified the European Commission that it will opt out of the EU’s common platform and set up a national platform for auctioning in phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
February 2011: 4.4 million allowances were distributed in the seventeenth Phase II EU ETS auction. The auction cleared at €14.36 (£12.19). Full details of the auction results are published on the UK Debt Management Office website.
4 February 2011: at 7am the UK registry (along with France, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovakia) reopened.
24 January 2011: the EU Commission and Member States reached an agreement on the minimum level of registry security required to reopen national registries. The UK is currently working with their contractors in order to provide the Commission with the required evidence to reopen our registry. The Environment Agency is working to ensure the UK registry is reopened as soon as possible.
19 January 2011: the EU Commission terminated all internal and international transactions in all EU ETS registries because of concerns about registry security. The suspension means that all Member States national registries are unable to transfer allowances either within or between each other. However, operators are still able to surrender allowances for compliance purposes.
January 2011: 4.4 million allowances were distributed in the sixteenth Phase II EU ETS auction. The auction cleared at €14.00 (£11.70) Full details of the auction results are published on the UK Debt Management Office website.
2010
September 2010: Benchmarking as an allocation methodology for heat in Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)
The study by AEA on behalf of DECC looked at some of the issues involved in using a heat benchmark to allocate allowances in Phase III where no product benchmark is developed.
September 2010: Assessment of degree of carbon leakage in light of an international agreement on climate change
DECC published a study by Climate Strategies, Cambridge Econometrics and Entec UK. The study looked at the impact of an increased EU greenhouse gas reduction target on the risk of carbon leakage. The study shows that for those sectors studied, a move to increase the EU’s 2020 greenhouse gas reduction target from 20% to 30% would not significantly reduce EU output.
August 2010: DECC published a Government response and a summary of responses to the consultation on the Phase II Good Quality Combined Heat and Power (GQ CHP) New Entrant Reserve (NER) ring-fence review. As result of the review, DECC plan to transfer 5.3m unreserved allowances from the GQ CHP NER ring-fence to the main New Entrant Reserve for general new entrant usage.
February 2010: DECC published a study by Entec UK Ltd, which looked at whether benchmarking would be a suitable allocation methodology for the upstream oil and gas industry from Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System which begins in 2013. The report is available below:
January 2010: On 18 January 2010, DECC published a Joint Consultation on EU ETS Phase III Opt-out for Small Emitters and Hospitals and Phase II Good Quality Combined Heat and Power New Entrant Reserve ring-fence review. The consultation closed on 12th April 2010.
2009
September 2009: A Report on 2008 EU Emissions Trading System emissions data was published. This looks at the emission results across the EU and looks at the sector level results in the UK.
June 2009: DECC published a Consultation on the First Stage Transposition of the Revised EU ETS Directive, relating to Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data and National Implementation Measures on 24 June. The consultation closes on 16 September.
April 2009: National Audit Office (NAO) report on the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme covering developments since 2007. (NAO website)
2008
December 2008: EU Leaders and European Parliament agree EU 2020 Climate & Energy Package
November 2008: Changes to UK ETS rules to provide for adjustments regarding double trading in EU ETS and UKETS.