CBAM for electricity: full price from day one
Electricity imports are covered by CBAM without free allocation or mark-up: every MWh is priced at the country default from 2026. For imports from Türkiye that is 0.718 tCO₂/MWh. Actual values are only accepted under five strict conditions.
No threshold, no free allocation
The 50-tonne threshold does not apply to electricity, and no CBAM factor reduces the obligation. Certificates equal the embedded emissions.
Country default values
Imports from Türkiye use 0.718 tCO₂/MWh. Where a country has no value of its own, the EU factor of 0.612 applies.
Five conditions for actual values
A power purchase agreement with the producer, connection to the Union grid or no congestion, at most 550 g fossil CO₂ per kWh, firm hourly nomination of capacity, and an accredited verifier certifying all of it.
Your sector in numbers
CBAM cost per tonne for goods from Türkiye, based on the EU default value and benchmark at the Q3 2026 certificate price (€82.32/tCO₂e).
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| EU default value (Türkiye) | 0.718 tCO₂ / MWh |
| Cost per MWh in 2026 | €59.11 |
| Cost per MWh in 2030 | €59.11 |
Worked example
An importer buying 100,000 MWh a year from a gas-fired combined cycle plant in Türkiye, assuming all five conditions are met.
Where do the emissions come from?
Embedded emissions of electricity come from fossil fuel use at the generating installation; renewables count as zero.
- Coal and lignite boilers
- Natural gas combined cycle turbines
- Fuel oil and auxiliary fuels
- Limestone used in flue gas desulphurisation (process emissions)
- Back-up generators and auxiliary units
What CO₂ Manager and our team do
Plant-level emissions
Emissions per MWh from fuel use and heating values, per installation.
Evidence for the five conditions
Structured records of power purchase agreements, capacity nominations and monthly interim reports, ready for the verifier.
Cost planning
Certificate costs per MWh and per supply contract.
Renewable share
Separate tracking of renewable generation and guarantees of origin for your inventory and customers.
Frequently asked questions
Who declares electricity imports?
The authorised CBAM declarant in the EU. Because the 50-tonne threshold does not apply, every MWh is in scope.
Does renewable electricity count as zero?
Only if all five conditions are met and verified. Otherwise the country default of 0.718 tCO₂/MWh applies.
Does a carbon price paid in Türkiye reduce costs?
The regulation allows a carbon price effectively paid in the country of origin to be deducted. As of autumn 2026 no third-country carbon price had been recognised for this purpose.
First your obligations, then your costs
Find out in two minutes whether EU ETS or CBAM applies to you, then calculate the carbon cost for your product and volume. We help you replace estimates with real data.
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2023/956; Implementing Regulations (EU) 2025/2620, 2025/2621 and 2026/1740; European Commission CBAM certificate price (Q3 2026); Directive 2003/87/EC (EU ETS). All figures are indicative. European Commission: CBAM · European Commission: EU ETS