Reporting new fuel chains

The Carbon and Sustainability Technical Guidance includes carbon intensity default values for a wide range of fuel chains.

New fuel chains may be identified throughout the obligation year as already supplying the market, or likely to supply the market in the very near term. For example, as new feedstocks or production pathways become available; an existing feedstock is sourced from a new country; or a new fuel type is imported into the UK. New default values are required for these fuel chains to ensure accurate reporting of its carbon intensity. The proposed carbon defaults for new fuel chains apply from the start of the obligation year in which they were calculated.

What to do if you are using a new fuel chain

If a fuel chain is not listed in the current C&S Technical Guidance or on the New fuel chains listing you may inform the RFA and request that a carbon intensity be calculated using the procedure below. To make a new fuel chain request click here. The process for developing new fuel chains is explained here.

Prior to the carbon intensity being calculated for a new fuel chain a temporary default value should be used for reporting under the RTFO:

• Where a renewable fuel is produced from a country of origin not defined in Annex G of the C&S Technical Guidance use the relevant feedstock default value.
• Where an existing fuel is produced from a new feedstock use the relevant fuel default value in Annex G.
• Where a new fuel type is produced from an existing feedstock (e.g. biobutanol produced from sugar beet) the temporary default should equal the average carbon intensity for biofuels produced from that feedstock. This can be derived through calculating the average carbon intensity of the relevant feedstock types in Annex G.
• Where the renewable fuel from a new fuel type is produced from a new feedstock (e.g. biofuel from miscanthus) the temporary default value should equal the average carbon intensity of the biofuel already supplied into the UK. The RFA should be contacted to supply this information.

Temporary default values will be valid until such time as a new value has been established and approved by the RFA. Updates on the new fuel chain request and its carbon intensity will be published in the new fuel chains section.

Last Modified: 29 Apr 2009