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Federal renewable fuels regulations: primary suppliers

NOTE: Information below is for compliance promotional purposes only and is not a substitute for the Renewable Fuels Regulations nor does it offer any legal interpretation of these regulations. For requirements under the Regulations, refer to the actual regulations. In the event of discrepancies between this document and the Renewable Fuels Regulations, the Regulations prevail.

Federal renewable fuels regulations - primary suppliers

Primary supplier – Persons who product and/or import gasoline, diesel fuel or heating distillate oil.

Who is a "primary supplier"?

Under the Renewable Fuels Regulations (Regulations), anyone who produces or imports gasolineFootnote 1, diesel fuelFootnote 2, or heating distillate oilFootnote 3 is a primary supplier.

What do the Regulations require of primary suppliers?

Fuel producers and importers are required to have an average renewable content of at least 5% based on the volumeFootnote 4 of gasoline that they produce and/or import commencing December 15, 2010 and at least 2% average renewable content based on the volumeFootnote 4  of diesel fuel and heating distillate oil that they produce or import commencing July 1, 2011Footnote 4 . In addition, various reporting and recordkeeping requirements apply, including a requirement for an annual audit by an independent third party.

How do I demonstrate that I comply with the renewable fuel content requirements?

Primary suppliers must demonstrate they have met their renewable fuel content requirements through the ownership of a sufficient number of "compliance units". Each compliance unit represents one litre of renewable fuel. Primary supplier may create compliance units or acquire them from other trading system participants.

I only produce and/or import small volumes of gasoline, diesel fuel, or distillate heating oil. Am I still required to have renewable fuel content under these Regulations?

If you produce and/or import less than 400 m³ (400 000 litres) of fuel in a yearFootnote 5 then you are exempted from the renewable fuel content requirement and associated reporting requirements under section 2 for that period. However, you are still subject to some specific record-keeping requirements in sections 29, 37 and 38 and volume measurement requirements in section 4.

If, as a small producer or importer, you still wish to participate in the trading system, then you may choose to do so by opting into the Regulations under section 3 and would be subject to the Regulations in full.

Where can I find more information?

For more general information on the Regulations, the trading system, important dates and reporting deadlines, see related fact sheet entitled Federal Renewable Fuels Regulations: Overview.

How to stay Informed?

Environment Canada also has the following information, available online:

Further questions and inquiries can be directed to Environment Canada's Inquiry Centre:
Tel.: 1-800-668-6767
Fax: 819-994-1412
or
Email: fuels-carburants@ec.gc.ca (Environment Canada's Fuels Program)

Did you know?

There are a number of other federal fuel regulations that must be complied with, if applicable, namely:

More information is available at Fuel regulations: regulatory text, guidance, reporting

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2018-11-23