Unified register of greenhouse gas emissions launched in Russia

2023: Registry Launch

On June 1, 2023, a register of greenhouse gas emissions was launched in Russia. It will allow automatic collection of reports of industrial enterprises emitting more than 150 thousand tons of SO2 per year, the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation reported.

They also noted that carbon reporting will help understand how Russia is moving towards carbon neutrality by 2060, outlined by the president, and, if necessary, take additional state regulatory measures. The report is completed and signed in the greenhouse gas emissions register, which operates within the framework of the current Energy Efficiency GIS.

Earned a register of greenhouse gas emissions

Under the Greenhouse Gas Cap Act, large businesses are required to provide mandatory reporting of their emissions from 2023. The circle of regulated organizations at the first stage included the largest enterprises from the fuel and energy complex and industry with emissions of more than 150 thousand tons of SO2 equivalent per year. From 2025, medium-sized enterprises in carbon-intensive sectors of the economy with emissions of more than 50 thousand tons of SO2 equivalent per year will also fall into the scope of regulation.

At the same time, regulated organizations include legal entities and individual entrepreneurs whose business activities, in addition to greenhouse gas emissions, simultaneously correspond to production processes and (or) types of economic activities from the list approved last year by the government.

As noted in the Ministry of Economic Development, earlier the department prepared amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, according to which failure to submit, untimely submission of a report or the provision of deliberately inaccurate information will bear the sign of an administrative offense and will entail a warning or imposition of an administrative fine.^[1]

2022: Government identifies Rostelecom as sole contractor

At the end of November 2022, the Russian Government identified Rostelecom as the only contractor to develop a register of greenhouse gas emissions. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development within the framework of the state information system (GIS) "Energy Efficiency."

The document, excerpts from which are quoted by TASS, also determines the deadline for which a state contract is concluded with the company - until November 30, 2023. In accordance with the order of the Cabinet, "Rostelecom" can involve subcontractors in the project. The condition for this is the fulfillment by the sole executor together with the subsidiaries of at least 50% of the total value of the obligations, and at least 5% - personally by Rostelecom.

Rostelecom will become the only contractor to develop a register of greenhouse gas emissions

The federal register of greenhouse gas emissions will accumulate information from carbon reporting of environmental users, reports of regulated organizations on greenhouse gas emissions, as well as information on targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The system will, among other things, interact with the carbon unit registry.

At the federal level, the law on the national carbon emissions trading system was adopted in the summer of 2021. It introduces mandatory reporting for a number of Russian companies on greenhouse gas emissions, creates contours of the national carbon emissions trading system.

On September 1, 2022, an experiment to limit greenhouse gas emissions began on Sakhalin, which will last until December 31, 2028.

Earlier, the Ministry of Economic Development prepared a strategy for the long-term development of Russia with a low level of greenhouse gas emissions until 2050. Russia cannot ignore the climate agenda - this creates risks for the sustainable development of the national economy after 2040, the strategy says.^[2]

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