In order to enable Member States to determine in accordance with Article 18(1) and (3) of Commission Decision 2011/278/EU2 the activity levels of new entrant installations pursuant to Article 3(h) of Directive 2003/87/EC, the Commission has to determine and publish standard capacity utilisation factors.

For the purpose of calculating the number of free emission allowances to be allocated to new entrant installations eligible for such allocation in the period 2013-20, Member States have to determine the activity levels of these installations. In this context, the standard capacity utilisation factor is necessary to determine the product-related activity level for products for which a product benchmark has been determined in Annex I to Decision 2011/278/EU. For new entrant installations, with the exception of new entrants due to a significant extension, this activity level is determined by multiplying the initial installed capacity for the production of this product in accordance with Article 17(4) of Decision 2011/278/EU with the standard capacity utilisation factor. For installations which had a significant capacity extension or reduction, Member States are to use the standard capacity utilisation factor to determine the product-related activity level of the added or reduced capacity of the subinstallation concerned.

The standard capacity utilisation factor should be the 80-percentile of the average annual capacity utilisation of all installations producing the product concerned. As part of the overall baseline data collection for incumbent installations carried out for the establishment of the National Implementation Measures (NIMs), Member States collected data on the average annual production of the product concerned in the period 2005-08. By dividing these production figures by the initial installed capacity as referred to in Article 7(3) of Decision 2011/278/EU, Member States then determined, on this basis, the capacity utilisation factors of the relevant installations on their territory. Member States then shared this information with the Commission as part of the NIMs.

Upon receipt of the NIMs from all Member States and taking into account the NIMs of the EEA-EFTA countries, the Commission determined the 80-percentile of the average annual capacity utilisation factors of installations producing a product for which a benchmark exists, taking into account the need to ensure neutral conditions of competition for industrial activities carried out in installations operated by a single operator and production in outsourced installations. The calculation is based on information available to the Commission up until 31 December 2012.

The standard capacity utilisation factors per product benchmark are set out in the Annex to this Decision. These factors apply for the years 2013 to 2020,