The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme (GGAS) provides for mandatory and elective benchmark participants. Mandatory benchmark participants are all NSW electricity retail suppliers, two electricity generators which supply electricity directly to large customers in NSW and one market customer, which takes electricity supply in NSW directly from the National Electricity Market (known as Class 1, 2, and 3 benchmark participants, respectively). In addition, 11 companies which use over 100 GWh of electricity in a year have elected to manage their own benchmarks. These companies are known as 'elective participants' or class 4 benchmark participants. State significant developments may also elect to be a benchmark participant (class 5 benchmark participant).
There are 40 benchmark participants in 2008 (see table), of whom 29 are mandatory participants*.
Each benchmark participant is responsible for meeting its share of reducing the NSW electricity sector benchmark. Elective participants, having nominated which company sites are part of GGAS, must meet the benchmark reduction targets for those sites.
Electricity Retailers (Class 1)
Other Mandatory Benchmark
Participants
(Class 2 & 3)