In the Netherlands, the issuance of green Guarantees of Origin for hydrogen has begun. The Netherlands is the first country in Europe to use such a system.
The accompanying system was recently examined in a pilot by the hydrogen exchange effort HyXchange in collaboration with Vertogas, the certification body for biogas and now green hydrogen. This successful pilot involved a total of eighteen market participants. HyXchange’s goal is to rapidly develop certificate and hydrogen trading, as well as to promote commerce between European countries and hydrogen imports from outside the EU.
The pilot evaluated the system’s practical operation, which market participants can use to register their hydrogen for a green Guarantee of Origin. These Guarantees of Origin can also be transformed into renewable fuel units (RFUs) for traffic and transportation, creating an appealing market due to the associated goal. In collaboration with European energy traders, a standard trading contract is also being established for this purpose. This also allows HyXchange to begin hydrogen trade as soon as possible.
Certification for green hydrogen
The certifications are Guarantees of Origin, which ensure that the hydrogen is produced using renewable energy. This enables any user to determine whether the hydrogen was created in a sustainable manner. As a national elaboration of a European directive, the Netherlands enacted legislation on the subject. Vertogas B.V., which already provides Guarantees of Origin for green gas and has been designated by the Minister to do the same for hydrogen, has recently developed a certification system appropriate for this new duty.
The system is currently solely a Dutch system and thus only valid within the Netherlands. As a result, the Netherlands is the first country to use this approach. Later, a more international system of hydrogen certificates based on European norms is expected, which is still being discussed.
The HyXchange trading platform is a collaboration between Gasunie and the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the Port of Amsterdam, Groningen Seaports, and the North Sea Port Authority (Vlissingen, Ghent, Terneuzen).
