Guarantees of origin

The administrator of the Estonian Guarantees of Origin system is the transmission system operator, who issues Guarantees of Origin in Estonia and manages the electronic database of Guarantees of Origin (hereinafter referred to as the register).

All activities related to the issuance, transfer, and cancellation of biomethane Guarantees of Origin are carried out within the registris.

The standard terms and conditions for the use of biomethane and hydrogen Guarantees of Origin establish the rules and procedures for using the register, under which market participants can perform operations with Guarantees of Origin. The standard terms are established pursuant to § 32¹⁰ subsection 12 of the Energy Sector Organisation Act.

Suppliers and traders are able to transfer and cancel Guarantees of Origin.

A biomethane Guarantee of Origin can be cancelled only to guarantee the origin of gas consumed in Estonia at the metering point.

The quantity of biomethane for which a Guarantee of Origin is issued, as well as the quantity of gas for which the origin is certified using a biomethane Guarantee of Origin, is determined by a remote metering device.

To certify the origin and carbon emissions of gas at the metering point, a market participant in the role of trader performs the cancellation of the Guarantee of Origin in the register. To certify the origin of gas, the trader submits the consumer whose energy consumption at the metering point is being certified.

Starting from the 2025 production year, Elering, as the representative of the Estonian domain, will issue biomethane Guarantees of Origin in compliance with the European Energy Certificate System (EECS), the standardized European rules for Guarantees of Origin, as a member of the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) gas scheme.

A Guarantee of Origin can be transferred electronically only within the register, between different accounts. The procedure for cross-border transfer of biomethane Guarantees of Origin is handled on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the applicable rules and arrangements of the respective foreign country.

For questions or suggestions related to biomethane Guarantees of Origin, please contact biomethane@elextra.ee