2017 has already been a busy year for the biomethane industry. In April the Department for Transport published new rules that allow grid-injected biomethane to be used to contribute to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation and CDP issued new advice on how biomethane certificates can be used in voluntary greenhouse gas reporting. In the autumn, the industry is expecting revised Renewable Heat Incentive legislation to be passed, which will help the industry to grow further.
“May 2017 has been a milestone month for Green Gas Trading” said Scheme founder Grant Ashton. “We’ve celebrated five years since we were formed, we’ve welcomed our 15th plant onto our scheme and we’ve now issued enough certificates to end users to decarbonise over 500GWh of fossil gas. And it’s not over yet. Later this month we will be issuing our new Scheme Rules, which for the first time will give end users the chance to buy biomethane certificates whose credentials have been independently verified in accordance with ISO14065.”
Mr Ashton added that the launch of the new rules comes at the end of a number of years working with UKAS, the sole national accreditation body for the UK, and SGS, one of the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification companies, marking a significant step for the biomethane market. Increasing scrutiny of renewable energy and its sustainability claims means that having certificates that have been accredited to the highest possible level is vital if biomethane is going to keep its reputation as a trustworthy way to decarbonise gas supplies. Users will not only be able to fully trust that the quantity of biomethane is accurate but that the details of the feedstocks used and the CO2 emissions from its production have been independently and robustly checked.
Green Gas Trading has spent a lot of time this year working with its members to monitor the market both in the UK and in Europe. At a time of uncertainty, and when governments seem to be turning their back on sustainable energy, the scheme is seeing increasing demand from companies who want to be seen to be doing the right thing for their shareholders, their customers and the environment. Not only are people buying certificates ‘over the counter’ for one-off events or specific facilities, they are also making commitments to decarbonise and de-frac their gas supplies in the long term.
Image: A biomethane bus in Lincolnshire, UK
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