On the requirements for quantitative determination of greenhouse gas emissions by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs for the purpose of their production accounting

The Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection informs that in accordance with paragraphs 5 and 6 of Article 78 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus of November 26, 1992 No. 1982-XII "On Environmental Protection" (as amended by the Law of the Republic of Belarus of July 17, 2023 No. 294-Z), industrial accounting of greenhouse gas emissions from sources and their absorption by sinks is carried out by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs. The procedure for industrial accounting of greenhouse gas emissions from sources and their absorption by sinks is established by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.

In accordance with paragraph 7 of the Regulation on the Procedure for State and Industrial Accounting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Sources and Their Absorption by Sinks, approved by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of March 9, 2021 No. 137 (as amended by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of February 27, 2024 No. 130), industrial accounting of greenhouse gas emissions is carried out by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs engaged in economic or other activities in accordance with the list and indicators of production processes and (or) types of economic and other activities according to Annex 1, whose total greenhouse gas emissions from sources for a calendar year exceed 15 thousand tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

On April 26, 2024, the Resolution of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of March 28, 2024 No. 8-T entered into force, which approved the environmental norms and rules EcoNiP 17.09.08-001-2024 "Environmental Protection and Nature Management. Climate. Requirements (rules) for quantitative determination of greenhouse gas emissions."

The document establishes requirements for the quantitative determination of greenhouse gas emissions by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs to ensure industrial accounting of greenhouse gas emissions from sources and their absorption by sinks.

According to the specified regulatory legal act, when quantitatively determining greenhouse gas emissions, sources of emissions that originate directly from facilities under the management of economic entities and from their production processes, including branches or separate divisions, are taken into account, including when they are located in the territory of different administrative-territorial units of Belarus.

Quantitative determination of greenhouse gas emissions is carried out using calculation methods based on data on the economic entity's operations and emission factors, as well as calculation based on the material and raw material balance. This regulatory legal act, among other things, defines the categories of greenhouse gas emission sources and the list of gases for which quantitative determination is carried out.

The approved EcoNiP 17.09.08-001-2024 allow for the quantitative determination of greenhouse gas emissions within the framework of preparing and maintaining industrial accounting of greenhouse gas emissions by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, which will subsequently contribute to planning measures to reduce the carbon intensity of manufactured products and confirming this for the regulatory bodies of the EU's cross-border carbon adjustment mechanism, as well as for possible similar mechanisms of the EAEU member states.