Benefits of greenhouse gas (GHG) verification
Reporting of carbon emissions is becoming a standard practice for companies looking to comply with regulations, satisfy customer requests or demonstrate to stakeholders that they are measuring and managing their climate impact.
New GHG programs are continuously being implemented around the globe by country or region, both voluntary and mandatory. Examples include he GHG emission report can only be verified with reasonable confidence if it does not contain material misstatements. After the site visit and office work are completed, the verification opinion is prepared by the verifier via the online software portal of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and submitted to the facility with an electronic signature. The process is completed by submitting the report approved by the facility authority to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization through the portal.
As GHG reporting becomes commonplace, it is important to assure that GHG statements contain accurate information. ISO 14064-3 provides a framework for evaluating GHG related statements and demonstrates commitment to reducing climate change.
Reference Standard: • ISO 14064-3: Greenhouse gases — Part 3: Specification with guidance for the validation and verification of greenhouse gas statements
GHG Verification Methodology: Evidence-gathering procedures included but were not limited to:
• Interviews with relevant personnel of clients;
• Review of documentary evidence produced by clients;
• Review of clients data and information systems and methodology for collection, aggregation, analysis and review of information used to determine GHG emissions; and
• Audit of sample of data used by clients to determine GHG emissions
Verification process stages
Verification process of GHG emissions reports includes the following stages:
- Obtaining of initial data, pre-estimation, tendering;
- Signing of verification contract and agreement of due dates;
- Compilation of strategic and risk analyses;
- Compilation of verification and sampling plans;
- Visiting of the installation, compilation of visiting report and submitting it to the operator;
- Submitting verification report to the operator;
- Confirming GHG emissions in the registry;
- Dealing with appeals* / complaints** (if any).
Facility Category: Facility category is a classification that helps determine the level of detail or the effort required for monitoring to be undertaken. The category of the facility is decided according to the Annual Estimated Emission amount determined in the Monitoring Plan.
- Category A (DE): Confirmed annual emissions equal to or less than 25,000 tons of CO2 (eq) in the reporting period, excluding CO2 originating from biomass, including transferred CO2,
- Category A: Confirmed annual emissions equal to or less than 50,000 tons of CO2 (eq) in the reporting period, excluding CO2 originating from biomass, including transferred CO2,
- Category B: Confirmed annual emission of more than 50,000 tons of CO2 (eq) and equal to or less than 500,000 tons of CO2 (eq) in the reporting period, excluding CO2 originating from biomass, including transferred CO2,
- Category C: Confirmed annual emissions of more than 500,000 tons of CO2(eq) in the reporting period, excluding CO2 originating from biomass, including transferred CO2.