EEX launches sell-off in German national emissions trading scheme

Submitted 06/10/2021 - 9:22am

The European Energy Exchange AG (EEX) has successfully launched the sell-off of national emission certificates (nEHS certificates, identified on EEX by the abbreviation nEZ) in the German national emissions trading scheme (nEHS).

At the start of the sell-off, 500,012 nEHS certificates were sold via EEX to a total of 4 participants at the fixed price of EUR25 Euros. Significantly more users from different participants have logged in during the first sell-off to test the new platform. Due to the settlement modalities for the so-called DCP nEHS customers, the sell-off volume and the number of DCP customers will be published one week later. Thus, the final sales and participant figures for a sell-off date are finally determined after one week in each case and are communicated on the EEX website. EEX publishes further details on its website under this link.

Peter Reitz, Chief Executive Officer of EEX, comments: "The German national emissions trading scheme is a major instrument to achieve the national climate targets in addition to the already established European emissions trading scheme (EU ETS), since the German heat and transport sectors will be included in CO2 pricing for the first time. We are proud of the successful start of the sell-off and very pleased to be able to contribute to the national climate protection goals."

All CO2-causing fuels, in particular petrol, diesel, heating oil, LPG, natural gas and, from 2023, coal, will be included in the German national emissions trading scheme. Those companies that bring the fuels into circulation, for example natural gas suppliers or companies in the mineral oil industry, are obliged to purchase national emission certificates.

The nEHS certificates can be purchased directly via EEX or indirectly via an intermediary. The list of the current 25 intermediaries on EEX’s website contains detailed information on their services within the national emissions trading scheme.

The sell-off of national emission certificates for 2021 will be offered twice a week between October and December 2021, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in the period from 9:30 to 15:30 CET. A further 18 sell-off dates are scheduled between now and the end of the year. 7 December 2021 is expected to be the last sell-off date of the year.

Until 2025, a fixed-price phase is envisaged under the scheme, in which an unlimited quantity of national emission certificates will be issued at a fixed, annually increasing price. From 2026 onwards, the sell-off shall be transferred to an auction procedure. EEX publishes detailed information on the national emissions trading scheme on its website.

Further information on sell-offs under the German national emissions trading scheme is published on the DEHSt website.

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