The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Order 2020

PART 5 End of hospital or small emitter status

End of hospital or small emitter status: ceasing to meet criteria

23.—(1) Where—

(a) an installation (other than a hospital-qualifying installation) is a hospital or small emitter for any of the 2021, 2022, 2023, 2026, 2027 and 2028 scheme years; and

(b) the regulator considers that the installation’s reportable emissions in any of those years exceed the maximum amount,

the regulator must, as soon as reasonably practicable, give a notice (a “conversion notice”) to the operator of the installation.

(2) Where the regulator considers that a hospital-qualifying installation ceases to be an installation that primarily provides services to a hospital in a scheme year (the “relevant scheme year”) for which the installation is a hospital or small emitter, the regulator must, as soon as reasonably practicable, give a notice (a “conversion notice”) to the operator of the installation.

(3) But sub-paragraph (2) does not apply—

(a) where the relevant scheme year is in the 2021-2025 allocation period and the installation was in operation in any of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 scheme years (within the meaning of GGETSR 2012), if—

(i) the installation’s reportable emissions in each of those years did not exceed the maximum amount; and

(ii) where the activity referred to in column 1 of the first entry in table C in Schedule 2 (combustion of fuels) was carried out at the installation, the installation’s rated thermal input was below 35 megawatts in each of those years.

(b) where the relevant scheme year is in the 2026-2030 allocation period and the installation was in operation in any of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 scheme years, if—

(i) the installation’s reportable emissions in each of those years do not exceed the maximum amount; and

(ii) where the activity referred to in column 1 of the first entry in table C in Schedule 2 (combustion of fuels) is carried out at the installation, the installation’s rated thermal input is below 35 megawatts in each of those years.

(4) Where a hospital or small emitter permit may be revoked under paragraph 12 of Schedule 6, the regulator may instead of revoking the permit give a notice (a “conversion notice”) to the operator of the installation.

Conversion notices

24.—(1) A conversion notice must—

(a) set out the grounds for the notice;

(b) state that the installation is not a hospital or small emitter for the scheme year following the year in which the notice is given;

(c) state that the operator must comply with the conditions of a greenhouse gas emissions permit from 1st January (the “date of conversion”) in the scheme year following the year in which the notice is given;

(d) state that the operator must apply to vary the monitoring plan to comply with the requirements of a greenhouse gas emissions permit.

(2) Where a conversion notice is given, the regulator must convert, with effect from the date of conversion, the installation’s hospital or small emitter permit (if any) into a greenhouse gas emissions permit by varying it under paragraph 6 of Schedule 6 so that the provisions of the permit are replaced by provisions that satisfy the requirements of paragraph 4 of Schedule 6.

(3) But if the regulator considers that the operator will not be capable of monitoring and reporting the installation’s reportable emissions in accordance with the monitoring and reporting conditions of a greenhouse gas emissions permit, the regulator must revoke the permit under paragraph 12 of Schedule 6 instead of converting it.

(4) When varying a permit, the regulator may make only such variations as the regulator considers necessary in consequence of the installation ceasing to be a hospital or small emitter.

(5) The conversion of the permit does not affect the obligations of the operator under the permit in respect of specified emissions before the date of conversion.

End of hospital or small emitter status: ceasing to meet criteria: publication

25.—(1) The regulator must, as soon as reasonably practicable, inform the UK ETS authority about each installation in respect of which a conversion notice is given.

(2) The UK ETS authority must, from time to time, publish the information referred to in sub-paragraph (1).

End of hospital or small emitter status: end of allocation period

26.—(1) The regulator must, on or before 31st May 2025 give notice to the operator of an installation to which sub-paragraph (2) applies—

(a) stating that the operator must comply with the conditions of a greenhouse gas emissions permit from 1st January 2026; and

(b) requesting the operator to submit any proposed changes to the monitoring plan approved in relation to the installation under Articles 11 to 13 of the Monitoring and Reporting Regulation 2012 or Articles 11 to 13 of the Monitoring and Reporting Regulation 2018 to the regulator on or before 30th September 2025.

(2) This sub-paragraph applies to an installation that is a hospital or small emitter for the 2025 scheme year other than an installation that is included in—

(a) the hospital and small emitter list for 2026-2030; or

(b) the ultra-small emitter list for 2026-2030.

(3) Where a notice under sub-paragraph (1) is given, the regulator must convert, with effect from 1st January 2026, the installation’s hospital or small emitter permit (if any) into a greenhouse gas emissions permit by varying it under paragraph 6 of Schedule 6 so that the provisions of the permit are replaced by provisions that satisfy the requirements of paragraph 4 of Schedule 6.

(4) But if, after the date referred to in paragraph (1)(b), the regulator considers that the operator will not be capable of monitoring and reporting the installation’s reportable emissions in accordance with the monitoring and reporting conditions of a greenhouse gas emissions permit, the regulator must revoke the permit under paragraph 12 of Schedule 6 instead of converting it.

(5) When varying a permit, the regulator may make only such variations as the regulator considers necessary in consequence of the installation ceasing to be a hospital or small emitter.

(6) The conversion of the permit does not affect the obligations of the operator under the permit in respect of specified emissions before 1st January 2026.