Lufthansa Consulting launches Emissions Trading Services solution to help carriers prepare for EU ETS
Fri 20 Mar 2009 – Lufthansa Consulting, the international consultancy arm of German carrier Lufthansa, has launched a service for airlines joining the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Although trading does not start until 2012, action is urgently needed, it says, since airlines must be in a position to submit their monitoring plans to the respective authority this August. The company has come up with a three-phase solution to help carriers fulfil their ETS requirements and implement them within the stipulated timeframe.
Under the first phase, Lufthansa Consulting conducts an ETS impact assessment for the client in which its experts analyze existing monitoring tools and fuel/emissions data, as well as the financial, strategic and administrative impact of the ETS. In addition, Lufthansa Consulting will identify the potential for reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Results will be compiled into a report and presented to the client within a week.
The next phase, called the MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, Verification) Compliance Cycle Phase, aims to help clients to comply with ETS regulations through creating a monitoring and reporting plan as well as an annual emissions report. It will open a dialogue with the relevant authority, design an emissions monitoring process and contract a verifier. In addition, Lufthansa Consulting will assist its clients in developing a certificate trading strategy. This phase is expected to take between two and four weeks, depending on client needs.
In the final Implementation Planning Phase, the company will help clients to enforce the organizational integration of the ETS processes, including allocating responsibilities, training staff and adjusting operational procedures. The implementation plan, says Lufthansa Consulting, can be conducted in two to four weeks.
The ETS will create a major financial burden for the airline industry, says Lufthansa Consulting, with the added administrative costs of the introduction, preparation and execution of the processes that are required.
The company says airlines having to comply with the ETS must structure their organizations to take account of the very tight timeframe and allocate responsibilities for the obligatory data monitoring, reporting and verification processes. It warns airlines that do not create the necessary foundations and do not obtain sufficient certificates for their fleet risk additional EU fines of 100 euros for every tonne of CO2 emitted.
