Significant changes in the development and integration of biomethane registries are currently taking place in Europe. These registries, which issue Guarantees of Origins (GoOs), are essential to certify the renewable nature of biomethane and contribute to the decarbonization of gas supplies in Europe. Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, for example, have been demonstrating secure transactions through qualified registries for years. Dynamic pan-European trade requires a standardized transaction and verification system for all commercial trade with specific characteristics – similar to the electricity market. In contrast to guarantees of origin for electricity, however, there is currently no harmonized system for biomethane certificates, although there are increasing efforts to harmonize these systems across borders.

The ERGaR (European Renewable Gas Registry) organization supports international biomethane trade by providing a more standardized system for transferring guarantees of origin. The Danish Energinet G-Rex, the German Energy Agency (dena), the British GGCS, the Dutch VertiCer, the Austrian AGCS and the Lithuanian Amber Grid are among the members participating in the ERGaR system. This system ensures that the transferred certificates are based on biomethane that has been fed into the grid and are recognized across European borders. Another organization, the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB), which has members from over 30 countries, focuses on cross-border certification, particularly of electricity.

As a result, GoOs from biomethane can currently be easily transferred from Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to dena’s German biomethane register for example, which remains the best-known European biomethane register. In countries where a biomethane register is not yet available, integration can be carried out using these standards or, alternatively, sustainability certificates (PoS) from other established voluntary schemes can be used to comply with market regulations (Transport, EU ETS, etc.) as well as voluntary obligations.

The Union Database (UDB) mandated by the EU under RED II will go-live by 21^st November 2024 for liquid and gaseous renewable fuels. All market players will be required to register their RED-certified biomethane GOs in the UDB. The initial focus will be on the transport sector. The aim is to ensure transparency, prevent double-marketing of GOs and streamline cross-border verification. Many stakeholders report that they are still unclear about the implementation in November and details about the readiness of the system remain vague, so industry players are waiting for further clarity.

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€25 billion in private investments are expected in the European biomethane sector by 2030 according to a recent analysis from the European Biogas Association (EBA). In addition to the current 1’300 biomethane plants currently in operation, these planned investments should lead to the establishment of 950 new biomethane units throughout Europe by 2030 – which will add 6.3 bln cum (~60TWh/year) of biomethane annual capacity.

Denmark, Poland, Italy and the UK are the primary investment destinations, with around €11.7 billion, adding 34TWh/year biomethane capacity in Europe. In Denmark for example, biomethane already constitutes 40% of its gas grid, with ambitious plans to achieve 100% substitution of gas demand by 2030.

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For the second consecutive year, BioGem Express (bGX) collaborated with Fairphone to reduce its scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of its Net Zero commitment. Fairphone’s office in Amsterdam which relies on natural gas for heating, aims to be free of natural gas by 2040. To achieve this goal, Fairphone adopted a market-based approach and directly procured biomethane Guarantees of Origin (GoO) through bGX, allowing them to claim their green gas consumption – each unit of biomethane acquired displaces an equivalent unit of fossil natural gas. This Dutch produced biomethane is traceable waste-based feedstock and complies with the Renewable Energy Directive II (REDII). The green value of biomethane is documented in a certificate issued by the official national registry.

We are convinced that this kind of partnership aimed at achieving sustainable goals, through the adoption of renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, will foster change across the industry.

For more information visit Fairphone’s Impact report here or contact sales@biogemexpress.com