AEP is accepting submissions from firms interested in pre-qualifying for the provision of projects related to reverifications, greenhouse gas quantification, data collection and analysis throughout Alberta. Provision of Environmental services may be as Prime Consultant only on Province projects. There are three categories of work being undertaken as shown below.
Category 1: Reverifications conducted under the Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (SGER), Carbon Competitiveness Incentive Regulation (CCIR) and Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) Regulation
Regulated facilities under SGER (2007-2017), CCIR (2018, 2019), and TIER (2020 and subsequent) are required to submit compliance reports, baseline emissions intensity applications (BEIA), and benchmark applications (collectively referred to as compliance submissions). Under these regulations, regulated facilities can meet their compliance obligation by purchasing fund credits or submitting Emission Performance Credits (EPCs) or Emissions Offsets Credits (EOs). Compliance submissions must be verified by a third party verifier (or third party assurance provider, a term that refers to a validator or verifier) before submission to AEP.
Emission offset project developers can generate emissions offsets that may be used for compliance under SGER, CCIR, or TIER. Emission offset project reports must be third party verified before the emission offsets may be used for compliance under the respective regulations.
As part of AEP’s assurances process, Alberta conducts reverifications for approximately 10 per cent of facility compliance submissions and approximately 15 per cent of emission offset credits submitted.
The purpose of the reverifications is to evaluate conformance of compliance submissions and emission offset project reports with program criteria and regulatory requirements as stated in the:
• Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (2003-2017 compliance years or vintage offsets);
• Carbon Competitiveness Incentive Regulation (2018-2019 compliance years or vintage offsets);
• Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction Regulation (2020+ compliance year period or vintage offsets);
• Technical Guidance for Completing Specified Gas Baseline Emission Intensity Applications (SGER);
• Technical Guidance for Completing Specified Gas Compliance Reports (SGER);
• Standard for Greenhouse Gas Emission Offset Project Developers (SGER, CCIR and TIER);
• Standard for Completing Greenhouse Gas Compliance and Forecasting Reports (CCIR and TIER);
• Standard for Establishing and Assigning Benchmarks (CCIR);
• Standard for Developing Benchmarks (TIER); and
• Standard for Validation, Verification and Audit (CCIR and TIER).
Contractors are engaged by AEP to provide reverifications on behalf of AEP of facility compliance submissions and emission offsets project reports. Contractors will work with the facility or project developer to execute the reverification. In general, reverification processes are the same as verification process as described in the Standard for Validation, Verification and Audit with additional requirements prescribed by AEP. Final verification plans and reports are submitted to AEP. Compliance with program and regulatory requirements is assessed by AEP and follow-up with the facility or the offset project developer is conducted by government.
Reverification teams are assigned to reverification projects based on expertise and technical experience of the team members. The required qualifications are provided in Section 3.
Category 2: Reverifications conducted under the Renewable Fuels Standard Regulation (RFS)
Alberta’s Renewable Fuels Standard Regulation (RFS) is an associated regulation for the provincial Emissions Management and Climate Resilience Act. The RFS came into effect in April 2011, and requires fuel suppliers to meet the requirements for blending renewable products into gasoline and diesel placed in the Alberta market. Verification requirements are not prescribed under this program.
Under the RFS, fuel suppliers must demonstrate an annual average blend of a minimum of two per cent qualifying bio-based diesel in diesel fuel and a minimum of five per cent qualifying renewable alcohol in gasoline placed in the Alberta market.
The renewable fuels, provided by renewable fuel providers, used to meet this requirement must be shown, on a fuel life cycle basis, to have at least 25 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the equivalent fossil fuel. The Renewable Fuels Greenhouse Gas Emissions Eligibility Standard issued under the RFS sets out the methodology and processes for demonstrating this requirement. The Emissions Standard identifies GHGeniusTM (Alberta 4.03a GHGenius) as the life cycle model by which eligibility of renewable fuels based on life cycle emissions reductions is determined. Approved greenhouse gas validators under the RFS are required to assess the eligibility of renewable fuels from renewable fuel providers for meeting the requirements under the RFS and submit a request for a validation reference number in a validation certificate from AEP. The validation reference number allows for the tracking of the renewable fuel through the supply chain from the renewable fuel provider to the fuel supplier or approved contributor.
Renewable fuel providers, approved contributors and fuel suppliers are required to submit annual compliance reports by March 31 of the year following the compliance year according to the requirements set out in the RFS.
Reverifications are conducted to assess regulated entities conformance with requirements stated in the:
• Renewable Fuels Standard Regulation (RFS)
• Renewable Fuels Greenhouse Gas Emissions Eligibility Standard
Category 3: Greenhouse Gas Quantification and Data Collection and Analysis Projects
As part of the implementation of Alberta’s industrial greenhouse gas regulations, contractor support in various program areas are often required including, but not limited to the following:
• Support in development of quantification methodology requirements for compliance reporting and generation of emissions offsets;
• Peer review of AEP documents such as quantification methodologies, standards, and other related documents;
• Focus or limited scope, verifications for facility compliance submissions or emissions offset projects; and
• Performing greenhouse gas data collection and analysis.
