Proposed changes to Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) | 2022-23

Environment and Climate Change Canada is proposing changes to greenhouse gas reporting requirements. Below is a summary of the Consultation Document's key points and timelines. To view the full report, click here.

ECCC is proposing significant changes to Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program in the publication of a combined 2-year notice in December 2022. Proposed changes would be introduced via the publication of a single notice that will cover reporting requirements for the 2022 and 2023 calendar years: Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases for 2022 and 2023. This two-year notice is targeted to be published in late 2022, and the main objective in covering two years under this notice is to transition to an earlier timeframe for issuing requirements under the GHGRP, i.e. allow for publication of 2023 reporting requirements prior to the start of the year in which they apply.

Proposed Changes to GHGRP Reporting Requirements

1. Publication and use of facility emissions by source category
   • Similar to NPRI CAC releases and US EPA GHGRP publishing emissions by source category
2. Removal of option for facilities to upload provincial reports
   • While initial report submission will require more attention, submission of federal reports will reduce burden on post submission follow up and report modification
3. Update of global warming potential values:
   
   

   Greenhouse Gas	Current	Updated Values
   Carbon Dioxide	1	1
   Methane	25	28
   Nitrous Oxide	298	265
   Sulfur Hexafluoride	22 800	23 500

4. Specific changes to existing technical requirements:
   
   1. Natural Gas Combustion Emissions Quantifications      
      1. Equation based on measured carbon content of NG (no change) 
      2. Equation based on measured HHV (proposed revision)   
         • Applied according to region in which facility is located based on consultant study completed by ECCC 
   2.   Industrial Wastewater Emissions Quantification 
      1. Improvements to methodology for calculating CH4 emissions    
         •     Include removal of emissions associated with treatment of sludge 
      2. Inclusion of methodology for calculating non-biogenic CO2 emissions from industrial wastewater 
   3.   Nitric Acid Production Reporting and Emissions Quantification 
      1. ECCC is proposing to require quarterly sampling of emissions at facilities per nitric acid train, instead of the facility level  
      2. Proposing to introduce reporting of process emissions of CO2 and CH4 from the use of reducing agents in NOx and/or N2O abatement systems   
         1. Proposing that the carbon content and methane content of each reducing agent be sampled monthly 
   4.   Ammonia and Hydrogen Production Reporting Requirements 
      1. Proposing to include additional reporting requirements for ammonia and hydrogen production  
         • Not expected to impact how data is collected or how emissions are quantified 
      2.  Proposing to collect gross industrial process CO₂ emissions 

Key insights: 

• Intended to be introduced, starting with 2022 reporting year (2022 data, reported by June 1, 2023)
• Nitric acid stack testing changes (quarterly stack testing) will come into effect in 2023
• CEMS is allowed as an alternative to stack testing for nitric acid. This change is only applicable to facilities using periodic stack testing
• ECCC will automatically re-calculate previous years’ reports. Resubmission of past years’ reports will not be required

Feedback on the document may be submitted until September 9, 2022 using this form; the purpose of consulting is to include adjustments and improvements from feedback in the final document. All additional consultation material can be found here.