Emission Factors and Reference Values

Version 1.0
June 2022

Document revision history

Revision number Date Summary of changes
1.0 June 8, 2022 Initial version

Introduction

Canada’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Offset Credit System is established under Part 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (GGPPA) to encourage cost-effective domestic GHG emissions reductions from activities that are not covered by carbon pollution pricing and that go beyond legal requirements.

Canada’s GHG Offset Credit System consists of:

The Canadian Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System Regulations (the “Regulations”) apply to a proponent of a project which is of a type for which a protocol has been included in the Compendium of Federal Offset Protocols; that aims to generate GHG reductions by preventing GHG emissions or removing GHGs from the atmosphere; and with respect to which the reductions are real, additional, quantified, verified, unique and permanent. The Minister must issue offset credits to a proponent for the period covered by a project report in the amount determined in accordance with subsection 29(2) of the Regulations if requirements of the section 7 and the subsection 29(1) of the Regulations are met.

This document provides emission factors and reference values that must be used in conjunction with a federal offset protocol to quantify the emission reductions achieved by an offset project. The document is categorized into general values and values specific to currently active federal offset protocols. Proponents may need to convert the units of the values provided in this document to align with the units presented in the quantification methodology of the relevant federal offset protocol.

Emission factors are subject to periodic updates when a new federal offset protocol is published, or when updated versions of the sources referenced in this document are published.

Proponents must always use the current version of this document. Amendments to this document apply on a go-forward basis and cannot be applied retroactively.

Abbreviations and acronyms

General

Global warming potentials

Global warming potentials are provided in Column 2 of Schedule 3 to the GGPPA.

Emission factors

Fuel combustion

Table 1 – CO2 emission factors for natural gas (g CO2/m3 natural gas)

Province / Territory MarketableFootnote 1 * Non-marketableFootnote 2 **
Newfoundland and Labrador 1921 2494
Prince Edward Island 1921 -
Nova Scotia 1921 2494
New Brunswick 1921 -
Quebec 1926 -
Ontario 1921 -
Manitoba 1915 -
Saskatchewan 1920 2441
Alberta 1962 2109
British Columbia 1966 2162
Yukon 1966 2401
Northwest Territories 1966 2466
Nunavut 1966 -

* “marketable” applies to the fuel consumed by the Electric Utilities, Manufacturing Industries, Residential/commercial and Transport subsectors.

** “non-marketable” applies to raw/unprocessed gas consumption, mainly by natural gas producers.

Table 2 – CH4 and N2O emission factors for natural gas (g GHG/m3 natural gas)Footnote 3

Source CH4 N2O
Electric Utilities 0.490 0.049
Industrial 0.037 0.033
Producer Consumption (Non-Marketable) 6.4 0.060
Pipelines 1.900 0.050
Cement 0.037 0.034
Manufacturing Industries 0.037 0.033
Residential, Construction, Commercial / Institutional, Agriculture 0.037 0.035

Table 3 – Emission factors for natural gas liquids (g GHG/L fuel)Footnote 4

Fuel CO2 CH4 N2O
Propane - Residential 1515 0.027 0.108
Propane - All Other Uses 1515 0.024 0.108
Ethane 986 0.024 0.108
Butane 1747 0.024 0.108

Table 4 – Emission factors for refined petroleum products (g GHG/L fuel)Footnote 5

Fuel CO2 CH4 N2O
Light Fuel Oil - Electric Utilities 2 753 0.18 0.031
Light Fuel Oil - Industrial 2 753 0.006 0.031
Light Fuel Oil - Producer Consumption
2 670 0.006 0.031
Light Fuel Oil - Residential 2 753 0.026 0.006
Light Fuel Oil - Forestry, Construction, Public Administration and Commercial/Institutional 2 753 0.026 0.031
Heavy Fuel Oil - Electric Utilities 3 156 0.034 0.064
Heavy Fuel Oil - Industrial 3 156 0.12 0.064
Heavy Fuel Oil - Producer Consumption 3 190 0.12 0.064
Heavy Fuel Oil - Residential, Forestry, Construction, Public Administration and Commercial/Institutional 3 156 0.057 0.064
Kerosene - Electric Utilities 2 560 0.006 0.031
Kerosene - Industrial 2 560 0.006 0.031
Kerosene - Producer Consumption 2 560 0.006 0.031
Kerosene - Residential 2 560 0.026 0.006
Kerosene - Forestry, Construction, Public Administration and Commercial/Institutional 2 560 0.026 0.031
Diesel - Refineries and Others
2 681 0.078 0.022
Diesel - Upgraders 2 681 0.078 0.022
Petroleum Coke - Upgraders
3 494Footnote 6 0.12 24.0 g/m3Footnote 7 
Petroleum Coke - Refineries and Others 3 859Footnote 6 0.12 27.5 g/m3Footnote 7
Still Gas - Refineries and Others 1 775 g/103m3Footnote 6 0.032 g/m3Footnote 8 0.00002
Still Gas - Upgraders
2 140 g/103m3Footnote 6 0.000039 0.00002
Motor Gasoline 2 307 0.100 0.02

Biomass combustion

Table 5 – N2O emission factors for LFG combustion (kg N2O/tonne CH4)Footnote 9

Description N2O
Industrial combustion (for energy) of LFG (boiler, turbine, internal combustion engine) 0.05
Flaring of LFGFootnote 10  0

Grid electricity GHG consumption intensity

A ‘generation intensity’ indicator is derived to reflect the GHG emissions intensity of electricity as it is delivered to the electricity grid. A ‘consumption intensity’ indicator is also derived to reflect the GHG emissions intensity of electricity as it is delivered to the consumer.

Table 6 – Electricity consumption intensity values (g CO2e/kWh electricity consumed )Footnote 11

Province / Territory Consumption intensityFootnote 12 
Newfoundland and Labrador 25
Prince Edward IslandFootnote 13  300
Nova Scotia 680
New Brunswick 300
Quebec 1.9
Ontario 28
Manitoba 1.2
Saskatchewan 620
Alberta 640
British Columbia 7.8
Yukon 110
Northwest Territories 180
Nunavut 800
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