TYPICAL MISTAKES IN SEAPS
In March 2018, the CoM East Technical Helpdesk Experts analysed more than 130 SEAP templates developed and submitted by the CoM Signatories through the “My Covenant" online platform. As a result, a number of typical mistakes made by Signatories when filling out the online template were identified, which led to a decrease in the overall quality and accuracy of the provided reporting documents, as well as inconsistency of the analysed information with the data provided in the SEAPs that were approved by the municipal councils.
The most common mistakes are as follows:
- Application of greenhouse gas emission coefficients that differ from those recommended by the Joint Research Center of the European Commission (JRC);
- Inconsistency between the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that a Signatory undertakes to reduce by 2020 as a result of SEAP implementation and the amount of the estimated volumes of reduction achieved through the implementation of separate components of SEAP;
- Inconsistency between the total estimated budget for SEAP implementation and the amount of the estimated budgets (investments) of separate components of SEAP;
- Application of coefficients for defining the level of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 under the "Business as usual" (BAU) scenario that differ from those recommended by the JRC;
- Lack of data on the expected level of energy savings, generation of renewable energy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the required fields of the template, etc.
Not all of the identified inconsistencies could be regarded as mistakes having a critical impact on the quality of the submitted documents. For example, application of greenhouse gas emission coefficients that differ from those recommended by the JRC can be justified by using national (or even municipal) coefficients. However, in this case, Signatories should provide a justification for the application of national coefficients and a description of the applied methodology in the appropriate field of the online template. In most cases, no justification was provided.
Thus, analysis of the collected information demonstrates that some mistakes could have been made directly in the process of calculating the baseline emission inventory and developing SEAPs, while another group of mistakes and inconsistencies includes those made in the process of filling out the template due to the lack of control over the accuracy of the information entered.
Based on the results of the analysis, the CoM East Technical Helpdesk prepared a brief guide aimed to provide Signatories with an overview of the most common mistakes and to help avoiding them when submitting new reports. Despite the fact that the document is based on data collected in 2018, most of the developed recommendations also apply to the new reporting format on the “My Covenant” platform. The guide was approved by the JRC and is available on the CoM East website in the “Library” section.
Artem Kharazyan
Technical Help Desk Coordinator