At the beginning of the year, ERGAR, along with other key stakeholders from the Guarantee of Origin (GO) Prime Movers, Eurogas, the European Biogas Association (EBA), Energy Traders Europe, GIE, and ENTSOG, organised the 3rd UDB Workshop. The event brought together industry players to discuss various topics related to the Union Database (UDB) and its implementation.
The key conclusion and clear stance from the workshop were as follows:
- The European Commission (EC) should provide clarity on crucial issues regarding the UDB’s implementation before its mandatory use begins. The market requires certainty about timelines and necessary steps. A fully functional and robust system holds more value for the market than a quick, but ineffective, solution.
- The EC and Member States should align and communicate clearly in advance when, and under which conditions, the UDB will become legally binding for certified economic operators, replacing paper or PDF proof of sustainability (PoS) documents. Furthermore, economic operators should not be held liable for delays in the transposition of RED III, and trade should continue under the current framework (i.e., before RED III transposition).
- The shortages identified during UDB testing, such as issues with verifying injected volumes, must be addressed. GO Issuing Bodies should be invited to participate in UDB testing to streamline the interface between the UDB and GO registries.
- The market has called for clear guidelines regarding the cross-border trade of biomethane, as well as greater transparency and information exchange across the EU on the support schemes implemented by Member States.
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To read the full conclusion, click here.