UK hits biomethane landmark
The UK has hit a biogas milestone, with independent biomethane certification registry Green Gas Trading issuing its 500,000th biomethane certificate to an end user.
According to the company, they are the first UK biomethane registry to sell over 500,000MWh worth of biomethane certificates.
Grant Ashton, founder of Green Gas Trading, said in a statement: “May 2017 has been a milestone month for Green Gas Trading. 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.
“The launch of these new rules comes at the end of a number of years working with UKAS (the sole national accreditation body for the United Kingdom) and SGS (one of the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification companies) and is a significant step for the biomethane market. With increasing scrutiny of renewable energy and its sustainability claims, 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.”
In April, the UK Department of Transport published new rules allowing grid-injected biomethane to be used to contribute to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. Meanwhile, much of the biomethane industry is expecting revised Renewable Heat Incentive legislation to be passed which could be a significant boost.
Grant continues: “We’ve spent a lot of time this year working with our 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, we’re glad to say that we’re 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, we’re also seeing people make commitments to decarbonise and de-frac their gas supplies in the long term.”
