Fuelled stations and fuel measurement and sampling (FMS)

Fuel measurement and sampling (FMS) is a process that fuelled stations have to follow on a monthly basis to determine both:

• the number of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROC) to be issued, and
• which ROC band applies.

FMS procedures are agreed with us during the accreditation process for a generating station. Fuelled stations cannot be accredited until the relevant FMS documentation has been submitted to and agreed with us.

For more detailed information on FMS procedures, please consult the relevant guidance documents below.

FMS Guidance Documents

• Renewables Obligation: fuel measurement and sampling guidance: This document provides operators using biomass and waste fuels with information on their potential eligibility for ROCs, and guidance on how to implement FMS procedures to meet the requirements of the RO. This is effective from 1 March 2016.
• Renewables Obligation: Biodiesel and fossil-derived bioliquids guidance: This document provides generating stations using fossil-derived bioliquids with information on their potential eligibility for ROCs, and guidance on how to implement FMS procedures to meet the requirements of the RO. This is effective from 1 December 2015.
• Renewables Obligation: template methodology for measuring fossil derived contamination within waste wood: This document provides a template methodology to demonstrate how the fossil-derived energy content of a representative waste wood sample can be calculated. This is effective from 1 February 2011.

FMS questionnaires

Depending on the technology and fuels used by your generating station, one of the following documents will need to be submitted alongside an application for the Renewables Obligation (RO). These templates are used to outline how you intend to measure and sample the fuel.

• Standard FMS questionnaire: This should be completed by operators using solid, liquid or gaseous biomass fuels at their generating station, not using AD or ACT.
• Advanced Conversion Technology (ACT) FMS questionnaire: This should be completed by operators of ACT (gasification and pyrolysis) stations only.
• Microgenerator Advanced Conversion Technology (ACT) FMS questionnaire: This should be completed by operators of ACT generating stations with a Declared Net Capacity (DNC) of less than or equal to 50kW only.
• Anaerobic Digestion (AD) FMS questionnaire: This should be completed by operators of AD stations only.
• Carbon-14 (14C) FMS questionnaire: This is for generating stations wishing to use carbon-14 techniques to determine the biogenic content of the fuel or fuels used. Please note, as the questionnaire only relates to determining biogenic content it must be submitted alongside another (applicable) FMS document from this list.
• BIOMA FMS questionnaire: This document should be completed by generating stations proposing to use the BIOMA method to determine the biogenic content of their fuel or fuels. As with the Carbon-14 FMS questionnaire, this questionnaire only relates to determining the biogenic content and should therefore be submitted alongside another (applicable) FMS document from this list.

Sustainability

Fuelled generating stations may be required to report on the sustainability characteristics of fuels used. To ensure compliance in this area, please review the Biomass sustainability page. This page includes further guidance and links to the carbon calculators.