New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme amendment regulations
Information on the 2019 technical updates to New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme regulations and links to the amendment regulations.
Full text
Full text of amendment regulations on New Zealand Legislation website
Public consultation on amendments to New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) regulations was held in May and June 2019. Cabinet approved the amendments after considering consultation feedback. The amendment regulations were published in the New Zealand Gazette on 26 September 2019 and come into force on 1 January 2020.
The functioning of the NZ ETS for imports and exports of synthetic greenhouse gases (SGGs) related to refrigerated shipping containers has been improved through changes to three regulations. This affects importers and exporters of refrigerated shipping containers, those who service them, and importers of bulk SGG who supply the service agents.
Climate Change (Other Removal Activities) Regulations 2009
- Refrigerated shipping containers will be listed as excluded goods and therefore the export of these will not be an activity eligible to receive emission units.
Climate Change (Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Levies) Regulations 2013
- The import of refrigerated containers for use with road, rail, plane, or shipping transport that include SGGs in their refrigeration systems will be removed from the schedule of goods subject to the SGG levy.
Climate Change (General Exemptions) Order 2009
- An amendment will exempt importers of bulk SGGs from NZ ETS obligations for the SGG they sell to service exportable refrigerated shipping containers from 1 January 2020.
Coal-based products not imported for the purpose of combustion or reductant reactions have been exempted from NZ ETS obligations on import by an amendment to the Climate Change (General Exemptions) Order 2009.
The intention is to prevent NZ ETS obligations applying to the import of coal-based products that do not lead to a release of carbon dioxide. Such products are used in industrial production, for environmental clean-ups and to treat air and water, including in municipal water treatment plants.
The carbon price and levy rates for goods and motor vehicles have been updated in the Climate Change (Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Levies) Regulations 2013.
A typographical error in the tariff item code for water coolers containing the refrigerant gas R407f has also been corrected.
The default emissions factors for classes of natural gas have been updated in the Climate Change (Stationary Energy and Industrial Processes) Regulations 2009.