The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Order 2020

Carbon price

46.—(1) This article applies for the purpose of determining the price (the “carbon price”) per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent for a scheme year.

(2) The carbon price for the 2021 scheme year is the sum of the relevant amount for each auction of allowances held in the period beginning on 1st January 2021 and ending on 11th November 2021 under regulations made by the Treasury under the Finance Act 2020 divided by the sum of the allowances sold at all those auctions.

(3) In paragraph (2), the relevant amount for an auction is the auction clearing price (that is to say, the price per allowance that, in accordance with the auction rules, each successful bidder must pay, irrespective of the original bid) multiplied by the number of allowances sold at the auction.

(4) The carbon price for the 2022 scheme year or any subsequent scheme year (the “relevant scheme year”) is the average end of day settlement price, calculated over the relevant period, of the December futures contract for the relevant scheme year, as traded on the relevant carbon market exchange.

(5) For the purposes of paragraph (4), the “average” end of day settlement price is calculated by dividing the sum of the end of day settlement price for each day in the relevant period for which an end of day settlement price is published by the number of days in the relevant period for which an end of day settlement price is published.

(6) In paragraphs (4) and (5)—

“end of day settlement price”, in relation to a futures contract, means the end of day settlement price per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent published by the carbon market exchange on which the futures contract is traded;

“futures contract” means a futures contract for allowances;

“relevant carbon market exchange”, in relation to a relevant scheme year, means the largest carbon market exchange as determined by volume of sales in the relevant period of the December futures contract for the relevant scheme year traded on the exchange;

“relevant period” means—

(a)

in relation to the carbon price for the 2022 scheme year, the period beginning on 1st January 2021 and ending on 11th November 2021;

(b)

in relation to the carbon price for the 2023 scheme year and any subsequent scheme year, the 12-month period ending on 11th November in the year preceding the relevant scheme year.

(7) The UK ETS authority must publish the carbon price for the 2021 scheme year on or before 30th November 2021.

(8) The UK ETS authority must publish the carbon price for subsequent scheme years on or before 30th November in the year preceding the scheme year.