What does a CBAM verifier check at an Indian fertiliser plant?

Question

Accepted Answer

Nitric acid N2O from continuous stack monitoring, the nitrogen content behind every tonne sold, how your CN codes were grouped, ammonia and hydrogen bought in as precursors, CO2 sent to the urea plant, and electricity, which counts for fertilisers. The verifier needs scope IV, plus II or III where you make ammonia or nitric acid, each with LII. Urea and mixed fertilisers such as NPK, ammonium nitrate or CAN: activity group IV. Ammonia, and hydrogen made on site: group II. Nitric acid: group III. Electricity counts for all fertiliser goods, so every one of these groups must come with LII, indirect emissions. A verifier accredited only for steel or cement cannot sign your report. N2O from the catalytic oxidation of ammonia and from any NOx or N2O abatement unit must be monitored with a continuous emission measurement system at a suitable point. Several stacks that cannot be measured from one place are monitored separately and added. N2O from burning fuel is left out. The verifier checks the CEMS data, its calibration and the flue gas flow, for which the rules prefer a mass balance over a flow meter, and converts at 265 t CO2e per tonne of N2O. That N2O then travels into every ammonium nitrate or NPK tonne made from the acid. CO2 captured at the ammonia unit and used to make urea counts as emitted at your installation. It is not treated as permanently bound. Hydrogen produced separately is a precursor with its own embedded emissions; the electricity behind that hydrogen may be left out of the ammonia figure. Ammonia is reported as 100% ammonia, whether hydrous or anhydrous, and nitric acid as 100% acid. Heat recovered from the ammonia or nitric acid reaction carries zero emissions, and so does power from an expansion turbine. The verifier checks you kept these apart from boiler steam and grid power. Fertiliser figures are per kg of nitrogen for each CN code, then multiplied by the average nitrogen in each range of composition you sell. Goods may share one production process only if they use the same precursors in the same types, quantities and proportions, or are the same substance in different concentrations. For mixed fertilisers you report nitrogen as ammonium, nitrate, urea and other forms, plus total N. For urea, purity and N content. Grades made to a customer's own recipe need a nitrogen declaration for each consignment. The verifier may compare your figures with your customers' purchase orders. Grid power for compressors, prilling towers and granulators is part of the figure for every fertiliser good. Any captive plant figure you use instead needs the evidence the rules ask for, which the verifier tests line by line.

What does a CBAM verifier check at an Indian fertiliser plant?

Match the verifier's scope to your plant

Nitric acid: N2O is measured, never estimated

Ammonia, hydrogen and the CO2 that goes to urea

Nitrogen content and how your goods were grouped

Electricity

Worked example: two numbers a verifier reruns

What Senseible does here