Experience report
The second experience report was published on 14/01/2025. The report is based on a research project for which we commissioned the services of the Forum Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft e.V. and Prognos AG to conduct an in-depth assessment on the impact of the national emissions trading (nEHS). The study examined the effect of the nEHS on the trend in fuel prices for consumers and the nEHS’s effect on CO2 emissions in the transport and building sectors. The next experience report is to be published in 2028 and subsequently every four years.
Section 23 of the Fuel Emissions Trading Act (BEHG) states that an evaluation of the BEHG must be carried out by the Federal Government at regular intervals. The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) – supported by us, the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the German Environment Agency (UBA) – is in charge of compiling the experience reports and further developing nEHS.
Experience reports (available in German only)
Zweiter Erfahrungsbericht der Bundesregierung gemäß § 23 BEHG
Erster Erfahrungsbericht der Bundesregierung gemäß § 23 BEHG
Situation of emissions
Evaluation reports on the emission situation
The nEHS evaluation report for the year 2024 was published on 03/06/2026. The report contains detailed information on the emission situation in the national emissions trading (nEHS), broken down by obligated parties as per BEHG, fuels and deductible emissions, among other things.
Full nEHS evaluation reports
nEHS: Emission Situation 2024 (26/08/2026, PDF, 3MB, File meets accessibility standards)
nEHS: Emission Situation 2023 (28/07/2025, PDF, 1MB, File meets accessibility standards)
nEHS: Emission Situation 2021 and 2022 (06/08/2024, PDF, 1MB, File meets accessibility standards)
Reporting of reported data on the emissions and surrender situation
Emissions in national emissions trading (nEHS) have remained virtually unchanged compared to the previous year. As the annual cap has been further reduced, it will be significantly exceeded for the first time by around 17.2 million tons of CO2. The data comes from a recent evaluation by the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) on the fourth year of the nEHS.
Based on preliminary data in the nEHS register, emissions in the nEHS in 2024 total 294.7 million tons of CO2. For a direct comparison with the previous year, the emissions from waste incineration plants recorded in the nEHS for the first time in 2024 must be excluded from the aggregate emissions. In this adjusted breakdown, emissions in the 2024 reporting year amounted to 281.6 million tons of CO2 (2023: 282.9 million tons of CO2) and are thus virtually unchanged.
A more detailed summary of the surrender situation in 2024 in the nEHS and access to the public area of the nEHS registry can be found via the links below.
To the reports
(available in German only)
Meldung ausgewiesener Daten zur Emissions- und Abgabesituation 2023 (05/11/2024, PDF, 106KB, File meets accessibility standards) Meldung ausgewiesener Daten zur Emissions- und Abgabesituation 2023 (05/11/2024, PDF, 106KB, File meets accessibility standards)
Public area of the nEHS registry (available in German only)
nEHS-Register: Compliance-Informationen
Cap increment amount and additional demand
Publication of the Adjusted Additional Demand Pursuant to Section 46 BEHV
In the National Emissions Trading System (nEHS), there is a legally specified target for greenhouse gas emissions that serves as a maximum allowable limit for all obligated parties as per BEHG. Since the sale of nEHS certificates (nEZ) during the introductory phase follows the actual demand from nEHS participants, there is the possibility that the specified target may be exceeded during this period.
The German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the German Environment Agency calculate the ‘adjusted additional demand’ that arises if the nEHS volume targets are exceeded in accordance with the provisions of Section 46(1) and (2) of the Fuel Emissions Trading Ordinance (BEHV).
In cases where there is a positive additional demand and the annual volumes specified by the EU Effort Sharing Regulation are not met, the excess demand for emission allowances is covered by utilising flexibilisation options according to the EU Effort Sharing Regulation. This may include the purchase of a corresponding amount of emission allocations from other Member States.
The adjusted additional demand in a calendar year is calculated according to Section 46 BEHV from the amount of nEZ surrendered in the nEHS Registry minus the fuel emissions of the EU ETS 1 compensation and the specified emission volume (Section 44(2) BEHV) in the same year. In addition, subsequent changes in the previous reporting years are taken into account (Section 46(2)(2) BEHV).
On 26/03/2026, the DEHSt published the adjusted additional demand for 2024 in the amount of 18,254,608 nEZ. The calculation is based on data as of 11/03/2026 for the 2024 reporting year. Subsequent changes for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 reporting years as of 01/12/2025 are also taken into account.
The adjusted additional demand published to date and the deadlines for subsequent years are shown in the following table:
| Calendar year | Adjusted additional demand, resp. publication deadline |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,623,836 nEZ |
| 2022 | - 3,962,525 nEZ |
| 2023 | 2,365,408 nEZ |
| 2024 | 18,254,608 nEZ |
| 2025 | 31/03/2027 |
| 2026 | 31/03/2028 |
The growing deficit in the nEHS in 2024 is also reflected in German emissions, which are regulated under the European Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR). The nEHS covers a large portion (almost 75 percent) of these emissions. According to current projections by the UBA, the German deficit under the ESR will continue to grow in the coming years, raising the risk that Germany could miss its ESR targets by 2030. To avoid having to make compensation payments to other EU member states, further effective mitigation measures are needed in the building and transportation sectors. The EU ETS 2 and revenues from the nEHS play a key role in this regard. By being fully channeled into the German government’s Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF), they enable a wide range of climate protection measures.
Publication of the cap increment amount in the Federal Gazette
The cap increment corresponds to the fuel emissions for which a contribution was made in both the EU ETS 1 and the nEHS. These double-balanced emissions are allocated to the EU ETS 1 and not to the nEHS, which is why the nEHS cap is increased by this amount.
To calculate the increment amount, the base increment amount for the calendar year is adjusted by the difference between the base increment amount and the actual ETS compensation for the penultimate calendar year (Section 45 BEHV). We determine the increment amount and publish it in the Federal Gazette.
Federal Gazette
(available in German only)
Bekanntmachung im Bundesanzeiger: 19.12.2025 B10
Bekanntmachung im Bundesanzeiger: 27.12.2024 B6
Bekanntmachung im Bundesanzeiger: 22.12.2023 B14
Market trends for conventional biofuels
Monitoring the market trends of conventional biofuels serves to evaluate the applicability of the zero emission factor in the BEHG for the biomass portion of fuels that originate from conventional biofuels. The market observation also includes a volume potential analysis for biomass and the development of the wholesale prices of the fossil fuels mainly placed on the market and the conventional biofuels used in the context of blending with fossil fuels.
We, the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt), are responsible for monitoring and evaluating market developments of conventional biofuels in accordance with Section 8(7) EBeV 2030.
Report on Market Trends for Conventional Biofuels 2025
Total auction volume
The total auction volume in the nEHS for the year 2026 amounts to 192,085,240 national emission certificates (nEZ). The total auction volume is calculated as the annual emissions cap for 2026, plus the 2026 increment amount, minus the additional demand for the years 2021 to 2025 (paragraph 11(1) Fuel Emissions Trading Regulation (BEHV)).
The cap for the year 2026 is based on the revised emission allocations for Germany pursuant to the EU Effort Sharing Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/842) and Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/2126. The adjustments to the emission allocations for the years 2026 to 2030 published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 27/04/2026 (Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/895) shall apply instead of the emission cap pursuant to paragraph 44(2) BEHV. To avoid subsequent corrections, these adjustments as of 27/04/2026 have already been taken into account for the calculation of the 2026 total auction volume, even though a corresponding amendment to the BEHV is still pending.
Auction and sale reports
The Federal Republic of Germany offers emission certificates (nEHS certificates) for auction and sale under the national emissions trading system (nEHS) at the European Energy Exchange (EEX). In 2026, auctions within a price corridor took place for the first time at the EEX. We keep the public and market participants informed about the results through our regular auction and sale reports.
Our auction and sale reports contain a detailed analysis of the auction and sale results as well as comprehensive information on the auction and sale process.
Carbon leakage
Reports on the BECV consultation procedure
Since 2022, we have been evaluating the impact of the BECV by conducting an annual consultation (Section 26(2) BECV).
The objective of this is to determine the impact of CO2 pricing within the framework of the national fuel emissions trading system and compensation mechanism for carbon leakage on the competitive situation of companies based in Germany. The consultation is directed at interest groups working for affected sectors and sub-sectors, social partners and other carbon leakage experts.
The consultation process from 2024 involved two main components: firstly an online survey and secondly, a discussion of the results at an expert forum. The final report summarises the results of both sub-processes. It is part of the annual report on BECV, which the Federal Government is mandated to submit to the Bundestag each year by September 30th. It was initially included in this context when the report was first published.
Central topics
- Effect of the CO2 price and carbon leakage offsetting
- Concrete design of the State aid, the environmental service in return and the relief for companies with a low total energy consumption of fossil fuels
- Experiences with the procedure for applying for carbon leakage compensation for the accounting year 2022
As in the previous year, the Ecological-Social Market Economy Forum (Forum Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft - FÖS) supported us in the 2024 consultation process following a public call for tenders and the awarding of the project.
The BECV consultation procedure 2025 will again include an online survey and an expert forum. The publication of the final report is planned for autumn 2025. For this, we will again launch a public call for tenders.
Reports (available in German only)
Evaluation reports on offsetting carbon leakage
In accordance with the BEHG Carbon Leakage Ordinance (Section 26(1) BECV), we, the German Emissions Trading Authority at the German Environment Agency, publish the results of the application procedure in the year following the submission of applications.
To the report (available in German only)
Transparency reports on carbon leakage compensation
The European Commission’s authorisation decision stipulates that the Federal Republic of Germany is obliged to publish certain data relating to companies receiving state aid in excess of 100,000 euros. We fulfil this obligation by publishing the relevant data annually on the European Commission’s state aid portal, the ‘Transparency Award Module’. In addition, we also make the data available in the form of reports on our website.
Transparency report (available in German only)
Liste der BECV-Beihilfeempfänger über 100.000 Euro für das Abrechnungsjahr 2024
Liste der BECV-Beihilfeempfänger über 100.000 Euro für das Abrechnungsjahr 2023
EU ETS 1 Offsetting
Evaluation report on offsetting by EU ETS 1 installations in the nEHS 2021 and 2022
The first evaluation report on offsetting by EU ETS 1 installations in the nEHS for the years 2021 and 2022 was published on 29/05/2024. The main results of the offsetting process are analysed in accordance with Section 11 of the BEHG Double-Balancing Ordinance (BEDV). The offsetting data for the EU ETS 1 is analysed and the enforcement perspective is presented.
Evaluation report 2021 and 2022
Research reports
(partly available in German only)
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