Renewable Gas Certification Takes A Step Forward

Certified Energy has taken the first step to establishing a certification system for renewable gas in New Zealand with the release of a discussion paper outlining its thinking on what should be included in the system and the rules that should govern it.
 

Renewable gas (primarily biomethane sourced from sustainably-sourced biomass and ‘green’ hydrogen) is gaining popularity around the world as a low-emissions alternative to natural gas and transport fuel.

“If we want to achieve our national decarbonisation goals, we need to focus our efforts on how we produce the energy we use. Renewable gases have the potential to help many large energy users to reduce their emissions, particularly where electrification is not currently an option,” Chief Executive Tim Middlehurst says.

“Companies like Firstgas, Hiringa Energy and BOC are already investigating how to bring green hydrogen onstream for consumers in New Zealand to help with the energy transition. The development of a certification system can help by incentivising new renewable gas production. Once in place, it will provide an additional revenue stream for producers by connecting them to users who recognise the benefits of supporting renewable energy and want to reduce their own emissions profile.”

The discussion paper released today outlines the proposed rules for certification, including how renewable gas certificates could be reliably tracked through the supply chain, and how certificates would be traded.
Feedback is also sought on whether to include low-carbon gas in the system, and if so, how to treat it.

“We expect demand for renewable gas is likely to outstrip supply, at least in the near-term, so it’s likely there will be interest in low-carbon gas products as an alternative to natural gas, such as hydrogen produced from low-carbon electricity,” Mr Middlehurst says.

“There is also the potential to export low-carbon gas products, which if certified and aligned with international frameworks could help with the decarbonisation efforts of other nations. We can see some benefit in creating a low-carbon certificate, so if it is included we want to have an open discussion on the thresholds that should apply.

“This consultation process is an opportunity for anyone with an interest in decarbonisation initiatives to help us develop a robust and transparent certification system for renewable gas. We look forward to making it happen.”

The discussion paper is available from https://www.certifiedenergy.co.nz/renewable-gas.

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