Low Carbon Fuel Standard credit market
Last updated on May 6, 2025The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credit market is a way for registered parties to participate in the exchange of compliance units.
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How it works
Compliance
The LCFS sets carbon intensity (CI) reduction targets. Organizations that supply fuels must have a balance of zero or positive number of compliance units at the end of the annual reporting period.
Credits are a positive compliance unit number.
Debits are a negative compliance unit number.
Obtain credits
To get LCFS credits, businesses can:
- Market low carbon fuels
- Undertake Initiative Agreements
- Purchase credits from those who have a surplus
Buy or sell credits
Some credit market participants are listed in RLCF-013: Validation and Transfer of Credits. This list includes participants who consented to display their contact information and does not capture all participants in the market. The contact information provided was correct at the time of publication.
Credit value
The market determines the value of a credit by its supply and demand dynamics.
View credit market data for information on:
- Credit transfers
- Volume transferred
- Prices
Credit market scope
In 2024 the credit market traded over $600 million (CAD) in credit value.
Review detailed information on the scope of the market in Table 10 of:
Calculate the LCFS credits you can earn for supplying low carbon fuel:
Credit market data
Updated April 2025: LCFS Credit Market Data (2015 to present) (XLSX, 25KB)
To provide better market information, we categorize credit transfers based on the date a written agreement was made.
Category definitions
Category A
The agreement to transfer credits was reached within six months of the credit transfer.
Category B
The agreement to transfer credits was reached six months to one year before the credit transfer.
Category C
The agreement to transfer credits was reached more than one year before the credit transfer.
Category D
Transfers reported at zero or near-zero price.
Transfer activity
All LCFS credit transfers need approval
Submit proposals online with the LCFS Portal
- Agreements to transfer credits can have a set price over a multi-year period
- Approved credit transfers take effect on the date of approval
Processing times
Processing times may vary.
The average processing time for a credit transfer proposal is 3 to 5 business days. The processing time may increase if further information is required from one or both parties.
Third party representation
To trade credits on behalf of another organization fill out a representation agreement. Representation agreements enable an organization to represent other organizations with credit transactions.