Quality%20assurance%20/%20Quality%20control%20system%20for%20the%20Greek%20GHG%20emissions%20inventory

1
Quality assurance / Quality control systemfor
the Greek GHG emissions inventory
UNFCCC Workshop on National Systems under Article
5.1 of the Kyoto Protocol 11 12 April 2005
Yannis Sarafidis, Elena Georgopoulou
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Structure of presentation

• Institutional arrangements Inventory
  preparation process
• Description of the QA/QC system
• Current status of implementation
• Planned activities

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Institutional arrangements

• Ministry for the Environment, Physical Planning
  and Public Works
• Development and implementation of environmental
  policy
• Provision of information concerning the state of
  the environment
• National System arrangements
• National Observatory of Athens (NOA) - Technical
  responsibility
• Monitoring committee within the Ministry
• Procedures for providing responses to any issues
  raised by the inventory review process
• Development of a QA/QC plan
• Detailed official specification of the roles of
  and the co-operation between government agencies
  is still ongoing

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GHG emissions inventory preparation process
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Structure and tasks of the inventory team
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QA/QC activities up to 2004 submission

• Comparison of information from different data
  sources
• Archiving of the emission factors used
• Reference vs. Sectoral approach for CO2 emissions
  estimates from the energy sector
• Assessment of the observed trends
• Comments from governmental agencies involved

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QA/QC system development (1)

• General framework
• COP decisions
• Compliance under the Kyoto Protocol
• Requirements
• Production of transparent, consistent,
  comparable, complete and accurate emissions
  estimates
• Ensure sufficient capacity for the development of
  an inventory
• Task-oriented approach followed
• Data collection and processing
• Application of methods for calculating /
  recalculating emissions or removals consistent
  with the guidelines
• Making quantitative estimates of inventory
  uncertainty
• Archiving of information and record keeping
• Compilation of national inventory reports

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QA/QC system development (2)

• External consultant
• References
• IPCC Good Practice Guidance
• ISO 90012000
• Technical approach followed
• Exchange of information
• Inventory team activities and requirements (NOA ?
  external consultant)
• The principles of the ISO 90012000 standard
  (external consultant ? NOA)
• Development of draft documents and discussion
• Finalisation of the QA/QC system

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QA/QC system processes

• QA/QC system management
• Quality control
• Archiving of inventory information
• Quality assurance
• Estimation of uncertainties
• Inventory improvement

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QA/QC system procedures
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Typical structure of a procedure

• Scope of the procedure
• Description
• Responsibilities
• Critical factors for success
• Efficiency indicators
• Input
• Output
• Forms to be filled in
• Association with other procedures

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Examples of forms
Personal communication with data provider
List of data sources, checks and problems
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QA/QC processes and inventory related activities
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QA/QC system start-up

• April 2004
• Documents
• Quality management handbook
• Policy statement
• Quality objectives
• QA/QC system manual
• Processes - Procedures
• Forms
• Inventory team organisation chart
• Assignment of
• QA/QC co-ordinator
• File system manager
• Training
• Internal review

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Quality objectives

• Compliance with the IPCC guidelines and the
  UNFCCC reporting guidelines while estimating and
  reporting emissions / removals
• Continuous improvement of GHG emissions /
  removals estimates
• Timely submission of necessary information in
  compliance with relevant requirements defined in
  international conventions, protocols and
  agreements

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Ongoing QA/QC activities

• Recalculations
• ICR of 2004 submission
• Key categories analysis
• Improved data availability in the framework of
  the EU-ETS
• Emission factors
• QC checks for some country-specific emission
  factors
• Documentation of emission factors used
• Activity data
• References
• Trend assessment
• Cross-reference of activity data among different
  sources
• Emission estimates
• Trend assessment
• IEF check

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Overview of planned activities

• Internal review
• Improvement of the archiving of information
  related to the compilation of the GHG emissions /
  removals per source / sink category
• Specification of procedures for interaction
  between NOA and governmental agencies related
  directly or indirectly in the preparation of the
  inventory
• Development of a long term inventory improvement
  plan

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Remarks

• Experience from the initial implementation phase
• Formalisation and documentation of
  inventory-related activities
• A learning period is necessary for the active
  involvement of inventory team
• Official arrangements for the National System
  (e.g. better information on QA/QC activities
  outside the inventory team)
• Availability of human resources
• Association of data providers with inventory
  development
• Format of available activity data
• Timing of availability