The Port of Rotterdam Authority (HbR) monitors the direct CO2 emissions of the activities in the port annually. In this study, CE Delft, commissioned by the HbR, described the current method of emission monitoring and tested whether it leads to the correct emission figure. We also mapped out the possibilities for improving and optimising the current methodology.
The current monitoring system of the Port Authority is well developed in many respects, although it can still be improved in a number of aspects. We also recommend communicating the principles of the monitoring more explicitly.
The current monitoring does not include the emissions of many of the companies that do not fall under the EU ETS1 and also not under the PRTR obligation. This concerns the emissions that occur on industrial estates, for example for powering mobile equipment or for heating office buildings. These emissions cannot currently be monitored properly. After all, there is no obligation to register these emissions, which means that insufficient detailed data is available. In order to gain insight into the order of magnitude of the emissions of this group of companies in the port area, we have developed an estimate for this.
Based on analysis of both generic data from national databases (top-down) and a more detailed analysis of the companies themselves (bottom-up), we estimate that the emissions of this category are very likely between 0.5 and 0.7 Mton CO2-eq. For comparison, in 2023 the total emissions of the other categories amounted to 20.3 Mton CO2.