Periodic Reporting for period 2 - REGATRACE (REnewable GAs TRAde Centre in Europe)
Période du rapport: 2020-12-01 au 2022-11-30
The overall aim of the REGATRACE (REnewable GAs TRAde Centre in Europe) project was to create an efficient trade system based on issuing and trading biomethane/renewable gases certificates, including Guarantees of Origin (GoO) and Proofs of Sustainability (PoS) with exclusion of double sale. This intended to strongly contribute to the uptake of the European common biomethane market. A significant help to the latter will be also provided by the comprehensive set of project’s actions at country level (including the guidance for feasibility analysis and the guidebook on securing investments for biomethane).
The trade system is designed for biomethane. Nevertheless, the system will be also capable of handling certificates issued for all other renewable gases (for example hydrogen produced via the Power-to-Gas process from renewable electricity).
The European biomethane/renewable gases market needs to be based on trading standardised certificates issued by the competent bodies under Europe-wide harmonised rules, regulations, procedures, and requirements.
Such a biomethane/renewable gases trade system can fulfil its functions if it is based on international cooperation of national issuing bodies/registries, who have the necessary professional knowledge, experience and are fully independent from the economic operators acting on the market.
The network of issuing bodies was meant to be established by including existing national biomethane registries (in AT, CH, DE, DK, EE, FI, FR, NL, and UK) and by establishing issuing bodies in the “target” countries of the project (BE, CZ, ES, IE, IT, PL, LT, and RO).
The issuing bodies were intended to be connected to allow exchange of data and title transfers. Subsequently, a dedicated biomethane/renewable gas trading platform will be necessary to trade biomethane/gases certificates directly among the market participants of the trading platform (producers, consumers, brokers, market makers, investors, etc.) in any location.
The trade system is designed for biomethane. Nevertheless, the system will be also capable of handling certificates issued for all other renewable gases (for example hydrogen produced via the Power-to-Gas process from renewable electricity).
The European biomethane/renewable gases market needs to be based on trading standardised certificates issued by the competent bodies under Europe-wide harmonised rules, regulations, procedures, and requirements.
Such a biomethane/renewable gases trade system can fulfil its functions if it is based on international cooperation of national issuing bodies/registries, who have the necessary professional knowledge, experience and are fully independent from the economic operators acting on the market.
The network of issuing bodies was meant to be established by including existing national biomethane registries (in AT, CH, DE, DK, EE, FI, FR, NL, and UK) and by establishing issuing bodies in the “target” countries of the project (BE, CZ, ES, IE, IT, PL, LT, and RO).
The issuing bodies were intended to be connected to allow exchange of data and title transfers. Subsequently, a dedicated biomethane/renewable gas trading platform will be necessary to trade biomethane/gases certificates directly among the market participants of the trading platform (producers, consumers, brokers, market makers, investors, etc.) in any location.
The work performed is as follows:
WP1
- Internal and external project front-office;
- Technical coordination of the project;
- Administrative and financial management of the project;
- Planning and coordination of quality review for all project outputs.
WP2
- Report on design study and technical specification for dashboard and trading platform (D2.6)
- Report on setting-up the network of national issuing bodies (D2.7)
- Techno-economic feasibility study on a harmonized system for cross border title-transfer of the renewable character of gas in Europe (D2.8).
WP3
- Report on the set-up of biomethane registries (D3.2).
WP4
- Guidelines for the verification of cross-sectoral concepts (D4.1)
- Technical and operational comparison of the biomethane/renewable gas GoO system and the electricity GoO system (D4.2)
- Harmonised set of rules for the conversion of electricity to biomethane/renewable gas and hydrogen GoO (D4.3)
- Design study on the technical requirements of a coordinated conversion process (D4.3)
WP5
- Assessment of results and key success factors (D5.1)
- Report on potentials and hot-spot regions (D5.2)
- Guidelines on renewable gas sustainability certification (D5.3)
WP6
- Long-terms visions and roadmaps (D6.3)
- Guidance for feasibility analysis (D6.4)
WP7
- Final Evaluation Report (D7.2)
- Recommendations for EU and national policy makers (D7.3)
WP8
- Seven newsletters and three press releases (D8.5)
- Final Booklet (D8.6)
- Report on Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation (D8.7).
The main results of the project (and dissemination and exploitation, whenever available) are as follows:
- 16 organisations joined the REGATRACE Network by signing the MoU from 12 different countries. Further exploitation by continuing the Network on the basis of an updated MoU.
- Ongoing discussions between the boards of AIB and ERGaR regarding cooperation/potential integration.
- Six feasibility studies (in BE, CZ, ES, IE, IT, and PL) by applying the guidance on feasibility analysis for the development of biomethane projects.
- Policy recommendations (disseminated during the final conference).
- In CZ, 10 companies are planning to implement innovations (GOs issuance, biomethane production and injection into the grid).
- In IE, 8 companies are planning to implement a number of innovations, such as improving the competitiveness and efficiencies to AD biomethane.
- Four Interface tests to connect System Participants IT-systems (AGCS, dena, GGCS and ENERGINET) to the ExtraVert Platform.
- AIB Issuing Bodies for guarantees of origin (35 ones) are planning to introduce innovations, by implementing mechanisms, rules and software for handling their certificates at energy conversion.
- Amber Grid (LT) and SPP (SK) have launched a system tender and are in the activation phase of the national biomethane registry system. These are two innovations that could lead to new services.
- Consolidation of MEETS methodology for replication assessment. Further use and application in other projects.
- Strategic vision and roadmap in the Target countries (BE, ES, IE, IT, LT, PL, and CZ) and in Supported ones (EL, EE, FI, LV, UA, and SI) to promote the market development of biomethane. They will be the basis for further exploitation and use (e.g. in BAP of REPowerEU and the ongoing work of BIP).
- Guidelines for establishing national biomethane registries (D3.1) to establish national biomethane/renewable gas registries where they do not yet exist in European countries.
- Guidelines for tender process of IT-services (D2.5). It provides guidelines on different aspects of a tender process to acquire specific IT-services for a renewable gas trading platform.
- Guidebook on securing financing for biomethane investments (D6.2). It describes financing mechanisms for biomethane investment projects, identifies potential sources of capital and how to access them.
WP1
- Internal and external project front-office;
- Technical coordination of the project;
- Administrative and financial management of the project;
- Planning and coordination of quality review for all project outputs.
WP2
- Report on design study and technical specification for dashboard and trading platform (D2.6)
- Report on setting-up the network of national issuing bodies (D2.7)
- Techno-economic feasibility study on a harmonized system for cross border title-transfer of the renewable character of gas in Europe (D2.8).
WP3
- Report on the set-up of biomethane registries (D3.2).
WP4
- Guidelines for the verification of cross-sectoral concepts (D4.1)
- Technical and operational comparison of the biomethane/renewable gas GoO system and the electricity GoO system (D4.2)
- Harmonised set of rules for the conversion of electricity to biomethane/renewable gas and hydrogen GoO (D4.3)
- Design study on the technical requirements of a coordinated conversion process (D4.3)
WP5
- Assessment of results and key success factors (D5.1)
- Report on potentials and hot-spot regions (D5.2)
- Guidelines on renewable gas sustainability certification (D5.3)
WP6
- Long-terms visions and roadmaps (D6.3)
- Guidance for feasibility analysis (D6.4)
WP7
- Final Evaluation Report (D7.2)
- Recommendations for EU and national policy makers (D7.3)
WP8
- Seven newsletters and three press releases (D8.5)
- Final Booklet (D8.6)
- Report on Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation (D8.7).
The main results of the project (and dissemination and exploitation, whenever available) are as follows:
- 16 organisations joined the REGATRACE Network by signing the MoU from 12 different countries. Further exploitation by continuing the Network on the basis of an updated MoU.
- Ongoing discussions between the boards of AIB and ERGaR regarding cooperation/potential integration.
- Six feasibility studies (in BE, CZ, ES, IE, IT, and PL) by applying the guidance on feasibility analysis for the development of biomethane projects.
- Policy recommendations (disseminated during the final conference).
- In CZ, 10 companies are planning to implement innovations (GOs issuance, biomethane production and injection into the grid).
- In IE, 8 companies are planning to implement a number of innovations, such as improving the competitiveness and efficiencies to AD biomethane.
- Four Interface tests to connect System Participants IT-systems (AGCS, dena, GGCS and ENERGINET) to the ExtraVert Platform.
- AIB Issuing Bodies for guarantees of origin (35 ones) are planning to introduce innovations, by implementing mechanisms, rules and software for handling their certificates at energy conversion.
- Amber Grid (LT) and SPP (SK) have launched a system tender and are in the activation phase of the national biomethane registry system. These are two innovations that could lead to new services.
- Consolidation of MEETS methodology for replication assessment. Further use and application in other projects.
- Strategic vision and roadmap in the Target countries (BE, ES, IE, IT, LT, PL, and CZ) and in Supported ones (EL, EE, FI, LV, UA, and SI) to promote the market development of biomethane. They will be the basis for further exploitation and use (e.g. in BAP of REPowerEU and the ongoing work of BIP).
- Guidelines for establishing national biomethane registries (D3.1) to establish national biomethane/renewable gas registries where they do not yet exist in European countries.
- Guidelines for tender process of IT-services (D2.5). It provides guidelines on different aspects of a tender process to acquire specific IT-services for a renewable gas trading platform.
- Guidebook on securing financing for biomethane investments (D6.2). It describes financing mechanisms for biomethane investment projects, identifies potential sources of capital and how to access them.
By accompanying the development of national biomethane markets in REGATRACE target and supported countries and by removing non-technical barriers to cross-border transactions of European Biomethane certificates, REGATRACE aimed to significantly increase energy amounts transferred cross border.
The envisaged cooperation of 16 registries/issuing bodies in 16 countries, i.e. those with established registries/issuing bodies (AT, CH, DE, DK, EE, FI, FR, NL, and UK) and target ones (BE, CZ, ES, IE, IT, LT, and PL) in the frame of their European network, will result in certificate trading turnover of 500 GWh by 2025 and 2,500 GWh by 2030.
In the first three quarters of 2022, 620 transfers with a corresponding volume of 1,031 GWh of biomethane were done among the System Participants of ERGaR. All biomethane certificates were transferred to the German Biogas register operated by dena. It is expected that the total amount of cross-border transfers of biomethane certificates facilitated by the ERGaR CoO Scheme will amount to around 1.5 TWh by the end of 2022.
Based on these data and observations, it can be expected that the volume of cross-border transfers of biomethane certificates will total to approximately 6,000 GWh in 2022 which is a doubling compared to 2020. It is expected that because of the ERGaR CoO Scheme, and the start of the operation of AIB EECS Gas Scheme, the volume of transfers will steadily increase through the joining of more System Participants in future.
The envisaged cooperation of 16 registries/issuing bodies in 16 countries, i.e. those with established registries/issuing bodies (AT, CH, DE, DK, EE, FI, FR, NL, and UK) and target ones (BE, CZ, ES, IE, IT, LT, and PL) in the frame of their European network, will result in certificate trading turnover of 500 GWh by 2025 and 2,500 GWh by 2030.
In the first three quarters of 2022, 620 transfers with a corresponding volume of 1,031 GWh of biomethane were done among the System Participants of ERGaR. All biomethane certificates were transferred to the German Biogas register operated by dena. It is expected that the total amount of cross-border transfers of biomethane certificates facilitated by the ERGaR CoO Scheme will amount to around 1.5 TWh by the end of 2022.
Based on these data and observations, it can be expected that the volume of cross-border transfers of biomethane certificates will total to approximately 6,000 GWh in 2022 which is a doubling compared to 2020. It is expected that because of the ERGaR CoO Scheme, and the start of the operation of AIB EECS Gas Scheme, the volume of transfers will steadily increase through the joining of more System Participants in future.