Low Carbon Fuel
Under the LCFS, a low carbon fuel is a fuel that has a carbon intensity below the annual limit. Assessing fuel by the carbon intensity provides an energy equivalence that allows for a fair comparison of any energy source regardless of its physical form. Carbon intensity is measured on a fuel lifecycle basis.
Lifecycle Assessment
A "fuel lifecycle" encompasses all of the stages of a fuel product's life from raw material to final use. A lifecycle assessment (LCA) considers the details of all those stages. Fuels come from a diversity of sources, and consideration of the full lifecycle is a means of ensuring that there is a net environmental benefit regardless of how or where the fuel is produced.
Carbon Intensity Approval
Low carbon fuel producers may apply to the director for approval of a fuel carbon intensity that has been determined in accordance with the requirements of the Renewable & Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Regulation.
Additional information about approvals:
Once a carbon intensity is approved, that fuel is assigned a unique fuel code which is used in the trading or sale of that fuel and for compliance reporting. For the current list of approved carbon intensities, see:
GHGenius
The carbon intensity of fuels supplied in B.C. must be calculated using the GHGenius model. The GHGenius model is a mature modelling approach that can be used to develop LCAs for transportation fuels used in Canada that are consistent with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards 14040 and 14044.
For determining the carbon intensity of all fuels supplied after January 1, 2015, the approved version of GHGenius is v4.03 as described in Approved Version of GHGenius (RLCF-011).
This guide - Using GHGenius in BC (RLCF-010) - supplements the existing GHGenius instruction manual. It provides working examples that illustrate the process of determining the carbon intensity of a transportation fuel.
