This report evaluates the results of a survey conducted in the summer of 2013 among German operators by Ecologic Institute and the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt). The report shows that in the third trading period there will be shifts within the carbon market and that a cost-efficient organization of the emissions trading will play an increasingly important role. The report is available for download.

Results:

• In the second trading period, only about half of the responding operators were active as buyers.
• In the second trading period, the chosen acquisition strategy was particularly dependent on the purchase volume and much less on the company size.
• In the second trading period, the internal offsetting and the use of intermediaries were by far the most widely used acquisition channels for operators.
• Operators which bought a large amount of emission allowances in the second trading period used mainly the OTC-market, the participation in auctions and exchange trading.
• The overall financial burden for the participation in emission trading for the non-exchange participants averaged annual less than 20.000 Euro.
• However the overall burden of the trade exceeded for some exchange participants the mark of 100.000 Euro per year, without including any fees and charges for clearing banks.
• The operators expect for the third trading period a significant expansion of the purchase need.
• Almost half of the responding operators plan to adjust their previous purchase portfolio in the third trading period. Thus, there will likely be shifts within the carbon market.
• With a view to the growing importance regarding to the use of auctions in the emissions trading is to be noted that so far a total of 53 percent of the responding operators do not feel sufficiently informed about the auctioning of EU allowances.
• The advantages of the "Auction Only" membership to participate in the primary auctions at the Leipzig Energy Exchange EEX are so far known to only very few operators.

The report on sources of supply and quantities in the EU emissions trading system is available at the DEHSt's website.