Baseline Registration

Untitled Document Regulated entities under the Specified Gas Emitters Regulation must register their baseline. Doing so will not only help determine if the entity is subject to a target reduction under the Regulation, but will also help determine the actual reduction required.


Under the Regulation a 12% intensity reduction will be applied to the average of that facility’s 2003-2005 baseline emissions intensity for established facilities. Established facilities are those that completed their first year of commercial operation before January 1, 2000, or have completed eight years of commercial operation. New facilities are those that completed the first year of commercial operation on December 31, 2000 or a subsequent year and have completed less than eight years of commercial operation. Emission intensity reductions for new facilities will be phased in over a 6-year period. The baseline emissions intensity for new facilities will be established based on the third year of commercial operation. New facilities are required to reduce emissions starting with the fourth year of commercial operation by 2%, and then by 2% every year after, until the 12% reduction target has been achieved.


In order to determine whether a facility is subject to the Regulation and to fulfill the baseline determination requirements of the Regulation, several steps must be taken:

  1. Determine if the facility’s total direct emissions were equal to or greater than 100 kilotonnes (kt) CO2e in any one year since the year 2003.
  2. Determine the facility’s baseline emission intensity.
  3. Complete the appropriate Baseline Emissions Intensity Application form.
  4. Submit the following completed documents to Alberta Environment
    • Third Party verified Baseline Emissions Intensity Application form,
    • Third Party Auditor’s Report,
    • The signed Conflict-of-Interest Checklist,
    • The signed Statement of Certification form,
    • The signed Statement of Qualification form,
    • The signed Statement of Verification form, and
    • If required, a Confidentiality Request.
  5. Originals (not photocopies) of the signed Statement of Certification, Statement of Qualification and Statement of Verification must be submitted via mail or courier.
  6. Confidentiality requests (where required), including the justification and supporting documentation must be submitted to Alberta Environment by mail or courier.
  7. Documents (excluding those submitted via email) must be sent to Alberta Environment.  Visit Alberta Environment website for document submission instructions.
  8. Once the Baseline Application and the other required documents have been received by Alberta Environment, the Director will review the Application and will inform the Person Responsible in writing that:
    • The baseline emissions intensity for the facility has been accepted, or
    • The Director has prescribed the facility a baseline emissions intensity.


The deadline for the submission of a Baseline Application for a new facility is the later of June 1, 2008 and June 1 of the 4th year of commercial operation of the facility, in the case of a facility that comes into existence after the coming into force of the Specified Gas Emitters Regulation and that has direct emissions of 100,000 tonnes of CO2e or more in any of the first 3 years of commercial operation.
sidebar-right: 

For more detailed information on the Baseline Registration Process, please visit the Alberta Environment website.

Baseline Emissions Intensity Information
Read more