In Spain, 22 renewable gas production plants, including biomethane, biogas and renewable hydrogen, have received Guarantees of Origin (GdO). Since January 2023, Enagás has managed this system that certifies energy obtained from renewable sources. To date, nearly 180,000 GdOs have been issued, mainly for biomethane and biogas. This initiative promotes the sustainability and decarbonization of the energy sector, highlighting the collaboration between companies and the regulatory entity to implement this system in record time.
Guarantees of Origin are electronic certificates that prove that a certain amount of energy has been obtained from renewable sources. Currently, the gases to which this certification applies in Spain are biogas, biomethane and renewable hydrogen.
According to data provided by Enagás, there are currently 47 facilities in the system. Of them, 22 are registered in the definitive registration in the System of Guarantees of Origin of Renewable Gases, that is, they are operational production facilities that can access the issuance of GdO. Of the total, 4 are biomethane for injection into the gas network, 1 is hydrogen produced off-grid and for use in transportation, and 17 are biogas production for self-consumption. All of them have an annual production capacity of 1,4 TWh.
On the other hand, there are another 20 facilities on provisional registration, of which 4 are biomethane, 15 hydrogen and 1 produces both biomethane and biogas. All of them have an annual production capacity of 3,2 TWh. Likewise, there are 5 more facilities in the process of being registered in the definitive registry that, once they carry out the corresponding audit, will be able to access the issuance of GoOs.
How a GoO works and who can access it
The life cycle of a GoO begins with the physical production of energy, based on which these certificates are issued to a specific production facility. Once issued, the GoOs and physical energy follow separate paths. The GdOs can be transferred between different holders - entities registered in the system for which a bookkeeping account is established - as many times as necessary until they reach a supplier or final consumer who redeems them, that is, who associates them again with physical energy consumption. The life cycle of a GoO can last up to 18 months. In the first 12 months from the production of the energy, the GdO can be transferred, exported or redeemed, while in the following 6 months it can only be redeemed.
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