Determine your reporting obligation

Industrial operations may need to report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the Province each year.

If an industrial operation has never reported before, it must check whether it needs to register.

On this page

• Forecasting and registration deadlines
• Operations required to report emissions
• Operations not required to report emissions
• Annual industrial emissions reports

Forecasting and registration deadlines

By February 28^th each year, the operator must estimate how much their operation will emit that year. If the total is 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) or more, the operator must register for GHG reporting by May 31st.

Operations required to report emissions

Requirements for reporting industrial GHG emissions in B.C. are based on three key factors:

• Quantity of emissions
• Type of operation
• Type of emitting activities

Quantity of emissions

Operations must report their GHG emissions to the Province if they emit 10,000 tonnes or more of CO₂e in a calendar year. They must also report if they emitted 10,000 tonnes or more in any of the past three years.

Important considerations for biomass emissions

Operators must report emissions from biomass sources. Item 1 of Schedule C of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reporting Regulation (GGERR) lists sources that must be reported on. These emissions do not count toward the 10,000 tonne threshold that determines reporting.

Type of operation

The regulation distinguishes between:

• A single facility operation (SFO)
• A linear facilities operation (LFO)
• An electricity import operation (EIO) 

An SFO is a Reporting Operation where the operator carries out specific industrial activities at a single facility. These activities involve GHG emissions sources listed in Schedule A, Table 1. 

An LFO is a Reporting Operation where oil and gas activities happen at one or more facilities. These facilities are usually smaller and the same operator controls and directs them. Schedule A, Table 2 lists the activities covered, including the following:

• Oil and gas extraction and gas processing activities
• Electricity transmission
• Natural gas transmission, natural gas distribution, or natural gas storage
• Liquefied natural gas (LNG) activities
• Oil transmission
• Carbon dioxide transmission

An EIO is an industrial operation that imports electricity generated at a facility outside of B.C. The electricity enters the province at its first point of delivery within the province.

An SFO and an LFO must report emissions from general stationary combustion. Only an SFO must report emissions from mobile equipment.

Type of emitting activities

The regulation details what GHG emissions must be reported. Schedule A includes a table that specifies the industrial activities and the types of emissions sources.

• Schedule A, Table 1 lists activities that apply to an SFO and an LFO when carried out at the operation
• Schedule A, Table 2 lists activities that apply to an LFO

Emissions quantification methodologies are set out for each activity. They are listed in Column 5 of Schedule A, Table 1 and 2 of the regulation. For more details, see the emissions quantification methodologies.

Regulated operations

Regulated operations are Reporting operations that participate in the B.C. Output-Based Pricing System (OBPS). They produce and ship a regulated product listed in in Column 2 of Table 2 of Schedule A.1 of the regulation. These operations must meet an emissions limit and follow additional production reporting requirements. 

Operations not required to report emissions

The GGERR does not apply to:

• Public sector organizations, including provincial government and other provincial public sector organizations
  • They must follow the Carbon Neutral Government Regulation. This regulation is under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act
  • An exception is BC Hydro electricity generation and electricity transmission emissions. The regulation includes these emissions and requires GHG reporting
• Landfill gas emissions
  • These emissions must be reported under the Landfill Gas Management Regulation

Annual industrial emissions reports

• The Province publishes the industrial GHG emissions summaries annually.