EMEA > RWE, Vattenfall, E.ON hang on to top spots in 2014 EU ETS emitter rankings

RWE, Vattenfall, E.ON hang on to top spots in 2014 EU ETS emitter rankings

Published 14:20 on June 18, 2015  /  Last updated at 14:20 on June 18, 2015  /  EMEA, EU ETS

Utilities RWE, Vattenfall and E.ON held on to their respective rankings as Europe’s top GHG emitters in 2014 despite all three cutting their output, according to a report published Thursday.

Utilities RWE, Vattenfall and E.ON held on to their respective rankings as Europe’s top GHG emitters in 2014 despite all three cutting their output, according to a report published Thursday.

Germany’s RWE topped the table, emitting 141.4 million tonnes of CO2e last year, which was down 3.2% from 2013, research and data company Carbon Market Data said in its annual EU ETS Company Rankings report.

Swedish state-owned Vattenfall ranked second at 95.6 million tonnes, down 2.4% year-on-year, while German-headquartered E.ON was third with 67 million tonnes – a notable 18.3% annual drop.

“These figures are calculated at group level, taking into account both minority and majority stakeholdings in other companies included in the EU emissions trading scheme,” Carbon Market Data said.

The trio received a total 14.1 million free EU Allowances last year, down from 18 million in 2013, meaning they need to buy most of the allowances they need to comply.

Italy’s Enel and France’s EDF rounded out the top five with 2014 output of 66.9 million tonnes and 59 million tonnes respectively.

RWE also lead all companies in facing the largest permit deficit in 2014 with 139 million tonnes, while Vattenfall was short by 87 million and Enel by 67 million.

SURPLUSES

Steel companies once again boasted the highest allowance surpluses last year, calculated by subtracting their verified emissions from their free EUA allocations.

However, for the first time in the 10-year history of the EU ETS, ArcelorMittal was dethroned as the recipient of the largest annual EUA surplus.

With emissions of 8.5 million tonnes in 2014, Italy’s Riva Group received 7.2 million more EUAs than it needed, compared to ArcelorMittal’s surplus of 6 million against emissions of 54 million tonnes.

“Most of (Riva’s) EUA surplus originates from its Taranto steel plant, which had a surplus of 7.7 million free carbon permits. The Taranto plant, in the south of Italy, is said to be the largest steel mill in Europe in terms of production capacity, with five blast furnaces,” Carbon Market Data said.

Tata Steel, with plants in the UK and Netherlands, ranked third with 26 million free EUAs versus verified emissions of 21 million tonnes of CO2e.

Year-on-year, the three companies grew their GHG output: ArcelorMittal’s by 3 million tonnes (5.9%), Riva’s by 0.5 million (6.3%), and Tata’s by 0.3 million (1.4%).

By Mike Szabo – mike@carbon-pulse.com