a) Project Background
The Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) Regulation is Alberta's industrial greenhouse gas pricing and emissions trading system, requiring regulated facilities to meet emissions benchmarks.
To support compliance, the Alberta Emissions Offset Registry (AEOR) and Alberta Emission Performance Credit (EPC) Registry, operated by CSA Group with support from the Government of Alberta, provide transparent tracking of Alberta based emission offsets and emission performance credits, ensuring traceability of credit ownership.
The AEOR processes project reports, serializes verified offsets with unique serial numbers, and posts reports to the platform. Once serialized, offsets may be used or sold. All ownership changes and submissions for compliance or retirement are tracked and reviewed by registry personnel to ensure adherence to system rules.
The Government of Alberta will procure an external consultant to conduct an independent assessment of options for the future of the Alberta Emissions Offset Registry (AEOR) and Alberta Emission Performance Credit (EPC) Registry. The project will evaluate possible delivery models, costs, risks, and system requirements, and provide a recommended approach with a clear implementation roadmap.
b) Project Objectives
1. Assess current registry performance and define user needs
Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the existing Alberta registries (AEOR and EPC), including operational performance, strengths, system limitations, and governance structure, and identify opportunities for enhancement, and potential solutions. Complement this analysis with stakeholder engagement (e.g., project developers, aggregators, verifiers) to define user needs, priorities, and required future functionality.
2. Analyze jurisdictional best practices and market infrastructure
Undertake a jurisdictional scan of national and international registry systems and carbon market platforms (e.g., ECCC, BC, UN, World Bank, IETA), including direct engagement with key jurisdictions, to identify best practices, lessons learned, and emerging trends relevant to Alberta.
3. Evaluate interoperability and market integration opportunities
Assess options to enable interoperability between the Alberta registries and other systems (e.g., federal and provincial registries, voluntary carbon markets), including alignment with international mechanisms such as ITMOs. Evaluate approaches to supporting market functionality, including price disclosures, price discovery, expandability to other related domains for the province and integration with external trading platforms.
4. Assess technology architecture and delivery models
Evaluate technology options for the future registries, including off-the-shelf versus custom-built platforms, and the feasibility of enabling third-party services (e.g., trading) through API-based architecture aligned with recognized standards. Assess delivery models (outsourced, hybrid, or in-house) in terms of cost, risk, scalability, security features and flexibility. The consultant must deliver a vendor-neutral, independent technical assessment, and must not promote, favour, or recommend any registry platform, product, or solution in which it (or an affiliate/subcontractor) holds a commercial interest.
5. Define recommended future-state requirements and implementation pathway
Develop a comprehensive set of functional, technical, and operational requirements to support procurement of future registries solution, including persistent, unique identifiers for facilities, corporate owners and credit lots. Provide a recommended option with an implementation roadmap for the next five years, including transition planning from the current system to new system.
c) Project Structure/Business Model
The Contractor will develop a detailed workplan and project schedule. Workplan to be reviewed by EPA and revised by the contractor based on comments received.
The Contractor will conduct the analyzes and assessment through document reviews, stakeholder interviews, jurisdictional research, market and technology analyses, and synthesis of findings to develop recommendations, future-state requirements, and an implementation roadmap.
The Contractor will meet with the government biweekly to share progress on the project, milestones achieved and continue collaboration needed from Government.
The Contractor will provide a draft report containing all the information and analyses for the following deliverables.
- Current state assessment and user requirements
- Jurisdictional scan and best practices report
- Interoperability and market integration assessment
- Technology and delivery models assessment
- Recommended solution and implementation roadmap
d) Key Stakeholders
The Government of Alberta will procure an external consultant to conduct an independent assessment of options for the future of the Alberta carbon registries (AEOR and EPC). The contractor is expected to consult with the various stakeholders participating in the Alberta Emission Offset System, including project developers, project aggregators, verifiers, and registry providers.
