California Air Resources Board

Background

The California Cap-and-Trade Program and Québec Cap-and-Trade System are linked, enabling the mutual acceptance of compliance instruments issued by each jurisdiction to be used for compliance with each program. As part of California’s Cap-and-Trade Program and the Québec Cap-and-Trade System, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Québec Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP) will hold joint GHG allowance auctions to allow market participants to acquire GHG allowances.

Additionally, as part of the Cap-and-Trade Program, California may offer quarterly sales of allowances from the Allowance Price Containment Reserve (Reserve sales). For more information, see the Cost Containment Information webpage.

Auction Schedule

The California Cap-and-Trade Program Joint Auction Summary of Expected Dates includes the expected auction dates for 2024.

• 2024 Joint Auction Summary of Expected Dates (posted December 1, 2023)

Summary of Auction Settlement Prices and Results

A summary of Cap-and-Trade Program auction settlement prices and results to date is available below.

• Summary of Auction Settlement Prices and Results (updated August 21, 2024)

Summary of Auction Proceeds

A summary of Cap-and-Trade Program auction proceeds is available below.

• Summary of Auction Proceeds (updated September 11, 2024)

Joint Greenhouse Gas Allowance Auctions

Auction Notices are posted to the jurisdiction webpages at 12:00 PM Pacific Time (PT), sixty (60) days prior to each auction, pursuant to the California Cap-and-Trade Regulation and the Government of Québec Regulation respecting a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emission allowances. If the date for posting an Auction Notice falls on a weekend or holiday, the Auction Notice will be posted no later than the next business day.  Auction Notices provide information about eligibility, auction format, and GHG allowances to be auctioned.  

This webpage will be updated with the Summary Results Reports and the California Post Auction Public Proceeds Report for each auction at the date and time listed in the Auction Notice.  If there is a delay or change to a posting date, CARB will issue a notice of the change.

Joint Auction Information and Results

NOTE: Additional information on prior auctions can be found on the Auction Notices and Reports webpage.

Auction Requirements, Instructions, and Examples

The Detailed Auction Requirements and Instructions provide detailed requirements and instructions for participating in a joint auction.  The Auction Examples provide information and examples of how United States (U.S.) and Canadian currencies are managed; how to determine the amount of a bid guarantee; bid evaluation procedures for purchase limits, holding limits, and bid guarantees; the settlement price determination process; and how joint auctions are settled.

• Detailed Auction Requirements and Instructions (updated December 15, 2023)
• Auction Examples (updated December 15, 2023)

Auction Participant Training and Guidance

An auction participant training presentation is posted annually and updated as needed.  This training presentation provides detailed requirements and instructions for participating in a joint auction, including eligibility; applicant requirements; administrative requirements; submitting a bid guarantee; bidding; and a description of the process to complete auction settlement and transfer of allowances. The Introduction to the WCI, Inc. Auction Platform provides an overview of functionality to support use of the new Auction Platform. The Bidding in the WCI, Inc. Auction Platform explains auction bidding and reports functionality within the new Auction Platform.

• Auction Participant Training Presentation (updated December 15, 2023)
• Introduction to the WCI, Inc. Auction Platform (posted July 9, 2021)
• Bidding in the WCI, Inc. Auction Platform (posted August 13, 2021) 

Guidance on Treatment of Unsold Allowances

In the event that an auction is undersubscribed, where not all allowances offered for sale are sold, the California and Québec regulations specify how those unsold allowances are managed and offered at subsequent auctions.  This document describes the requirements for the California state-owned and consigned allowances.

• Guidance on Treatment of Unsold Allowances (updated December 1, 2021)

2024 Annual Auction Reserve Price Notice

The 2024 Annual Auction Reserve Price Notice specifies the California and Québec 2024 Annual Auction Reserve Prices and the number of allowances to be auctioned in 2024 for the quarterly auctions as part of the Current Auction and Advance Auction.

The Auction Reserve Price in effect for each joint auction will be determined as the higher of the Annual Auction Reserve Prices established in U.S. and Canadian dollars after applying the established Auction Exchange Rate. The Auction Reserve Price is a predetermined minimum price at which allowances will be sold to auction participants.

• 2024 Annual Auction Reserve Price Notice (updated December 1, 2023)

Auction Forms and Guidance

Auction Application Attestation Disclosure Form

Section 95912(d)(4)(D) of the Cap-and-Trade Regulation requires that each auction application include an attestation disclosing the existence and status of any ongoing investigation or an investigation that has occurred within the last ten years with respect to any alleged violation of any rule, regulation, or law associated with any commodity, securities, environmental, or financial market for the entity participating in the auction, and all other entities with whom the entity has a direct corporate association pursuant to section 95833 that participate in a carbon, fuel, or electricity market. Further, the attestation must be updated before each auction to reflect any change in the status of an investigation that has occurred since the most recent auction application attestation was submitted. Please refer to the Auction Application Attestation Guidance for additional information.

An auction applicant may use the Auction Application Attestation Disclosure Form (revised January 2022) to submit the required attestation disclosures and updates to previously submitted attestations by following the instructions on the form.

Auction Bid Advisor Form

Section 95914 of the Cap-and-Trade Regulation (Regulation) requires that any entity participating in an auction that has retained the services of a Cap-and-Trade Consultant or Advisor regarding auction bidding strategy must ensure certain provisions are met as described in the Regulation.  In addition, the Consultant or Advisor providing services related to bid strategy must submit certain information to CARB no later than fifteen (15) days prior to the quarterly auction at which the Consultant or Advisor's services will be employed. The Auction Bid Advisor Form and the Addendum can be used to submit the required information to CARB at the address provided on the form.

Cap-and-Trade Utility Disclosure Form

Section 95914(c)(1) of the Cap-and-Trade Regulation prohibits the disclosure of information related to an entity’s auction participation. Section 95914(c)(2) provides a list of limited exceptions to the prohibition. One of the exceptions allows disclosure by privately-owned utilities that are required to do so by a regulatory agency (section 95914(c)(2)(D)), and requires those utilities to report to the Executive Officer within 10 business days of making the disclosure.  Entities qualifying for the exception in section 95914(c)(2)(D) may complete the Utility Disclosure Form and return it to the Executive Officer within 10 business days of making the disclosure to satisfy the reporting requirement.

Example Letter of Credit

The Example Letter of Credit (updated March 15, 2024) provides an example format for California Cap-and-Trade Program entities to submit a letter of credit as a bid guarantee for an auction or reserve sale. The letter of credit must be issued in a form that may be accepted by the financial services administrator consistent with U.S. banking laws and bank practices.

California entities may also submit a bond as a physical bid guarantee. A bond must be issued in a form that may be accepted by the financial services administrator consistent with U.S. banking laws and bank practices. The general requirements to submit a letter of credit and bond for a bid guarantee are very similar. The Example Letter of Credit provided may be used for submission of a bond by revising all letter of credit references to indicate the specific type of bond being submitted and to remove language specific only to a letter of credit.

Financial Services Administration FAQ

The Financial Services Administration Frequently Asked Questions, Financial Services Administration FAQ, (updated December 1, 2021) provides answers to common questions regarding transactions to purchase allowances, disposition of cash provided to the Financial Services Administrator (FSA), FSA accounts, and potential reporting requirements related to transfer of funds for allowances.

Guidance for Allowance Consignment to Auction

The Cap-and-Trade Regulation provides that allowances are allocated annually to each eligible electrical distribution utility or natural gas supplier (consigning entity). Each calendar year, a consigning entity must offer for sale at auction all allowances that have been placed in its Limited Use Holding Account (LUHA) that were issued from the budget year that corresponds to the current calendar year. Additional information on allowance consignment requirements, conducting consignment transfers in the Compliance Instrument Tracking System Service (CITSS), confirming or providing wiring instructions in CITSS for the payment of proceeds, and auction participation is available in the Guidance for Allowance Consignment to Auction (updated December 1, 2021).

Additional information on the actions to be taken to confirm existing wiring instructions or provide new wiring instructions is provided in the CITSS Auction Consignment Wiring Instructions User Reference.