Early start for green certificates in Sweden

Early start for green certificates in Sweden The first Swedish green certificates have now been issued and sold. The biofuel-fired CHP plant in Eskilstuna has been registered in the Swedish RECS system. Green certificates are issued for electricity generation based on renewable sources of energy in accordance with the European standard RECS (Renewable Electricity Certificate System). A green certificate is issued for every megawatt-hour of electricity that the plant concerned produces. These certificates can then be bought by organisations and private individuals who wish to support renewable electricity generation. The Eskilstuna CHP plant is owned by Eskilstuna Energi och Miljö AB. Vattenfall AB Supply & Trading has been commissioned to mange the environmental value of the plant's electricity generation as expressed in the form of green certificates. Vattenfall has also signed an agreement with the Dutch energy company Eneco concerning the provision of 20 000 green certificates. This deal was arranged by the London-based broker Natsource. Before any certificates can be issued, an independent organisation must check that the generation concerned really is renewable and that its environmental value is not sold twice. SwedPower AB has been responsible for the documentation and Det Norske Veritas has carried out the first verification of a Swedish plant in the RECS system on behalf of Vattenfall. RECS is a European platform that comprises over 100 organisations from 17 countries. The members include most of the major European electricity companies. Primary responsibility for the system is held by an Issuing Body in each country. In Sweden, this body is Svenska Kraftnät. The aim of RECS is to contribute to an international harmonisation of the national certificate systems that are now being developed in the EU. "This shows that trading in green certificates works in practice. The revenues earned from the sale of green certificates encourage the electricity generators to develop more renewable electricity generation capacity," says Claes Hedenström of Vattenfall AB Supply & Trading. Issued by Vattenfall's Press Office, tel: +46-8-739 50 10. For further information, please contact: Claes Hedenström, Vattenfall AB Supply & Trading, +46-8-739 56 49. Mats Petterson, Eskilstuna Energi & Miljö, +46-16-10 23 55. Anders Johnson, Det Norske Veritas, +46-8-587 941 62. Vattenfall's vision is to be a leading European energy company. The Nordic region, Poland and Germany are its domestic markets. Today, Vattenfall generates power and supplies energy solutions to several million customers in the Nordic region and northern Europe. The largest electricity customers are industrial plants and energy companies. Vattenfall's main products are electricity, heat and natural gas, as well as network, consulting and maintenance services. The Group's net sales in 2001 are calculated to around SEK 70 billion. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/01/30/20040817BIT21000/wkr0001.pdf