UK Emissions Trading Scheme charges

These charges apply from the 01 January 2022 and have increased by 21% for 2022-23 to make up for the removal of a time limited financial discount 

If you have any queries relating to ETS charges then contact us at: ghghelp@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

Stationary Installations

Installations such as power stations, oil refineries, offshore platforms as well as industries producing iron and steel, cement and lime, paper, glass, ceramics and chemicals are classed as Stationary Installations.

Subsistence charges for stationary installations

The subsistence charge is payable annually and is based on your emissions. It covers the costs of:

  • review of verified Annual Emission Reports (AER) and associated material
  • review of verified activity level reporting
  • maintaining your permit
  • maintaining your use of the UK Registry
  • processing notifications
  • dealing with administrative or minor variations to Monitoring Plans and Monitoring Methodology Plans (MMPs)
  • compliance inspections
  • providing a help desk

UK ETS subsistence charges for stationary installations in Wales

Installation category UK ETS subsistence charge
Cat C - Emitting more than 500,000t CO2e per annum £3,946
Cat B - Emitting at least 50,000t and no more than 500,000t CO2e per annum £3,452
Cat A - Emitting less than 50,000t CO2e per annum £1,973
Hospital or small emitter

£493

If you join the UK ETS part way through a year, you will be charged a portion of the subsistence charge according to the number of days left in the year.

The calculation will start from the date your permit is granted or transferred.

If you surrender your permit, or it’s revoked, and this happens part way through a year, we will refund a portion of the annual subsistence charge you have paid.

The calculation will be based on the number of days left in the year.

Applying for a new permit

You pay this when you apply for a new permit.

UK ETS new permit charges for stationary installations in Wales:

Installation category UK ETS charge for new permit
Cat C - Emitting more than 500,000t CO2e per annum £3,946
Cat B - Emitting at least 50,000t and no more than 500,000t CO2e per annum £2,959
Cat A - Emitting less than 50,000t CO2e per annum £1,973
Hospital or small emitter

£1,973

Applications for changes to existing permits

These charges apply when we need to carry out a technical assessment of your application to vary your permit. However, not all permit variations incur a charge and if we think that the variation is only an administrative or minor change, you will not need to pay a charge. 

The transfer charge is the same whether you are transferring all or part of your permit and is payable by either the transferor or the transferee (but not both).

The permit surrender or revocation charge is the same if you apply to surrender your permit or we serve a notice on you that we are revoking your permit. If the latter, we will send you an invoice.

If you are a hospital or small emitter installation and you apply to increase your emissions target after an increase in capacity, you are required to pay a charge and this covers the cost of your permit variation.

If the information you send in with your application is incorrect or incomplete, you may have to pay a further charge.

Charges for changes to existing UK ETS permits for stationary installations in Wales:

Type of permit change UK ETS charge

Permit variations where a fee is paid with an application

£986

Permit variation without application

£986

Permit variation (termination of excluded status)

£986

Increase emissions target

£1,973

Permit transfer

£1,973

Permit surrender

£1,973

Permit revocation

£1,973

New entrant reserve

£2,959

If you are not sure whether you need to pay a variation charge, please email GHGHelp@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

Aircraft Operators

Any person who operates an aircraft at the time of the flight is described as an aircraft operator

Subsistence charge for aircraft operators

The subsistence charge is payable annually and covers the costs of:

  • maintaining you as an aircraft operator in the UK ETS
  • processing notifications
  • maintaining your use of the UK Registry
  • dealing with administrative or minor variations to plans
  • compliance auditing
  • providing a help desk and resolving issues

The subsistence charge is made up of two parts. It has a fixed charge element called a base charge. You pay this if you are carrying out aviation activities for any part of the compliance year. The base charge is dependent on your emissions.

UK ETS subsistence charges for aircraft operators in Wales

Aircraft Operator category UK ETS base charge

Emitting more than 500,000t CO2e per annum

£2,472

Emitting at least 50,000t and no more than 500,000t CO2e per annum

£2,012

Emitting less than 50,000t CO2e per annum

£1,551

If you qualify as a UK aircraft operator part way through a compliance year, you will be charged a pro-rata fee based on the number of days remaining in the year. The charge will start from the date on your emissions plan, not from the date you applied for the plan.

Within any one calendar year, if your emissions plan is suspended and then restarted again mid-year, the variable part of your charge will not be adjusted.

You also need to pay a variable charge that depends upon the length of time you have had an emissions plan in place during a compliance year.

UK ETS variable charges for aircraft operators in Wales

Aircraft Operator category UK ETS variable charge

Emitting more than 500,000t CO2e per annum

£824

Emitting at least 50,000t and no more than 500,000t CO2e per annum

£671

Emitting less than 50,000t CO2e per annum

£509

Permit applications and variations for aircraft operators

Not all permit variations incur a charge and if we think that the variation is only an administrative or minor change, you will not need to pay a charge.

The emissions plan variation charge may also be incurred if we have served you a variation notice.

The Application for Special Reserve also covers the cost of your application for your benchmarking plan.

Charges for UK ETS permit applications and variations for aircraft operators in Wales

Type of permit application UK ETS charge

Application for an emissions plan

£606

Emissions plan variation

£347

Application for a benchmarking plan

£671

Application for Special Reserve

£905

If you are not sure whether you need to pay a variation charge, please email: GHGHelp@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

Common Elements of Charges

Pro-rata charges for subsistence fees

Where a permit is issued part way through the year the charges will be calculated on a pro-rata basis for the remaining period up to the end of the year.

Retail Price Inflation (RPI) increases

Each year NRW may increase charges up to (and including) the Retail Price Inflation (RPI) in line with increases in the Office for National Statistics measures of inflation as at 30 September in the immediately preceding year. Increases beyond RPI would only occur after we have consulted on such changes and had Ministerial approval to do so.

Hourly Rate

The hourly rate of £151 will be applied for any supplementary permitting work.

How to pay

Pay by bank transfer

How to pay for your UK ETS permitting charges:

  • You must include your company name and UK ETS permit ID number with the payment. 
  • You may pay for your UK ETS permitting charges by BACS electronic bank transfer or credit card by telephone.

Payment by BACS Electronic bank transfer:

If you want to pay for your permit by electronic transfer please use the information below to make your payment:

Company name: Natural Resources Wales

Company address: Income Department, PO Box 663, Cardiff, CF24 0TP

Bank: RBS

Address: National Westminster Bank Plc., 2 1/2 Devonshire Square, London, EC2M 4BA

Sort code: 60-70-80

Account number: 10014438

Please include your company name and UK ETS permit ID number with the payment.

Pay by phone

Call us on 0300 065 3000 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) 

Please include your company name and UK ETS permit ID number with the payment.

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