FAQs

In partnership with an international law firm, MiQ has developed a Certificate Trade Agreement that can be used as a template trade agreement for transacting ICG Certificates. This agreement is available here.

If you wish to include ICG Certificates as part of a physical natural gas transaction, then you will need to consider adding specific terms to reflect the sale, purchase, and delivery of the ICG Certificates. You may be able to include the concepts and language in the MiQ Certificate Trade Agreement in your confirmation or as an amendment to your master agreement.

None of the MiQ Foundation, its affiliates, its representatives and/or its legal counsel involved in the development, preparation and approval of the Single Trade Agreement shall be liable or otherwise responsible for its use and any damages or losses resulting out of its use in any particular case and in whatever jurisdiction. It is the responsibility of each party wishing to use the template agreement to ensure that its terms and conditions are appropriate, legally binding, valid, and enforceable and best serve to protect the user’s legal interest. Users of the template agreement are urged to consult their own counsel in all respects.

You should take your own legal advice on the terms and conditions that you use to buy or sell ICG Certificates whether in combination with natural gas or otherwise.

Yes, you can assign and retire ICG Certificates for your own organisation’s consumption. The process is similar whether you are retiring ICG Certificates for your own or another entity’s consumption.

Yes, an Account Holder can retire Certificates on behalf of a beneficiary that does not have its own account on the MiQ Digital Registry.

End-users do not need their own account on the MiQ Digital Registry. An Account Holder can retire ICG Certificates on behalf of another entity that does not have an account on the Registry, provided that that entity is using the ICG Certificates for its own consumption.

All ICG Certificates that have a “Verified” Grade Status can be retired immediately. ICG Certificates that only include a Grade under the EO100™ Standard will always carry a “Verified” Grade Status and can be retired immediately. ICG Certificates that have an “Initial Audit” Grade Status cannot be retired until their Grade Status becomes “Verified”, i.e. when the Final Audit for the relevant facility has been approved on the MiQ Digital Registry. ICG Certificates that include a Grade under the MiQ Standard may have a Grade Status or “Verified” or “Initial Audit”.

The process of assignment removes ICG Certificates from circulation on the MiQ Digital Registry and identifies a beneficiary as the final end-user of the ICG Certificates. Assigned ICG Certificates cannot be transferred to other Account Holders. Evidence of assignment can be provided to the beneficiary in PDF form and can be verified on the MiQ Digital Registry website. You can assign ICG Certificates that have an “Initial Audit” Grade Status, i.e. the relevant facility has completed an Initial Audit but not a Final Audit and the Grade Status has not been Verified. ICG Certificates that have been assigned to a beneficiary will be automatically retired when the Final Audit for the relevant facility has been approved on the MiQ Digital Registry.

The process of retirement removes ICG Certificates from circulation on the MiQ Digital Registry and identifies a beneficiary as the final end-user of the ICG Certificates. Retired ICG Certificates cannot be transferred to other Account Holders. Evidence of retirement can be provided to the beneficiary in PDF form and can be verified on the MiQ Digital Registry. You can only retire ICG Certificates that include a Grade under the MiQ Standard when they have a “Verified” Grade Status, i.e. the relevant facility has completed a Final Audit and as a result, the Grade Status has been Verified. ICG Certificates that only include a Grade under the EO100™ Standard will always carry a “Verified” Grade Status and can be retired immediately.

Once a transfer of ICG Certificates has been approved by an organisation’s user, it cannot be cancelled. There is a multi-step process in place to allow you to check the details of transfers before you approve them.

The transfer process is explained in the videos on our website. Please scroll down to the videos on this page. The step-by-step process is also described (with screenshots) in the Account Holder User Guide which is available here.

The number of accounts will depend on how you want to manage your activities. You will need at least one Trading Account. If you are making retirements for your own consumption and/or the consumption of your buyers, you will need at least one Retirement Account.

An organisation may create as many accounts as it wants. There is no charge for additional accounts.

There are two types of accounts: Trading Accounts and Retirement Accounts. Trading Accounts are used to hold ICG Certificates. Trading Accounts can receive transfers of ICG Certificates from other accounts and can be used to make transfers to other accounts. Retirement Accounts hold ICG Certificates that have been retired.

Log in to the MiQ Digital Registry and select the Accounts menu tab.

A video for Account Holders describing how to use accounts is available on our website.

More information is available in the User Guides which are available here.

We recommend doing this once per month after you have established final operational numbers for the month, and you have the required evidence to make an issue request. You have four calendar months from the last day of the month of operation to make an issue request. For example, you must request the issuance of certificates for January 2023 by 31 May 2023.

No. You can specify any active trading account on the MiQ Digital Registry for the ICG Certificates of your facility to be issued into. This account can be held by you or a third-party organisation.

The evidence required depends on the supply-chain segment of the facility in question. MiQ provides operators with an information pack on the evidence required for monthly ICG Certificate issuance on request. Please discuss with your MiQ contact for further information.

You can request the issuance of ICG Certificates for a month once you have the relevant information and required evidence available to provide to the MiQ Digital Registry for that month’s operation.

You can request the issuance of Certificates as soon as you have collated the relevant information and required evidence available to provide to the MiQ Digital Registry for that month’s operation. You have four calendar months from the last day of the month of operation to make an issue request. For example, you must request the issuance of certificates for January 2023 by 31 May 2023.

The quantity reported should be the sales quantity of the facility net of shrinkage from processing, etc. The quantity must be reported in MMBtus (one certificate is valid for one MMBtu).

Registrants do not have accounts on the MiQ Digital Registry. Registrants provide information to the MiQ Digital Registry in relation to facilities. Certificates for a Registrant’s facilities must be issued into an account held by an Account Holder. The same legal entity may be both a Registrant and an Account Holder. If the Registrant entity is not also an Account Holder, the Registrant must identify an account held by another Account Holder for the issuance of certificates.

The requirements for a facility (asset) are defined in the relevant supply-chain segment standard. For onshore production, a facility is defined as “all natural gas production equipment located in a single geologic field or basin under the responsibility of a common owner or operator (including leased, rented, or contracted activities)”. Please check the relevant MiQ Standard for further information.

You can choose any legal entity you use for each role. Provided that the entities have the capability and the relevant information that needs to be provided to the MiQ Digital Registry, you can select the entities within your organisation that best suit your operational and commercial needs. However, we find that companies typically need to consider the following:

– It may be easier for the entity that already sells gas to buyers to be the Account Holder. This allows the normal market-facing entity to deliver certificates to buyers under its contractual commitments for sales of certified gas or unbundled ICG Certificates.
– It may be easier for the asset-owning company to be the Registrant since the asset-owning company has the relevant information about the facilities (assets).
– You can also choose a different entity, such as the parent company, to act as both Registrant and Account Holder.
– One organisation can have as many Registrant and Account Holder entities as it requires (although each facility can only be assigned to one Registrant).
– For each facility (asset), the Registrant nominates the account into which certificates will be issued.
– If an organisation uses different entities for the Registrant and Account Holder roles, some companies prefer the asset-owning company to have its own account for issuance of certificates. The asset-owning company can then transfer the certificates to the marketing entity when required. The alternative is for certificates to be issued directly into the marketing entity’s account.

This means that there are several options for setting up entities as Registrant or Account Holder, including:

– Asset owner as Registrant and Account Holder (but if the asset owner is not also the market-facing entity, it may need to deliver certificates to customers as agent for the normal market-facing entity).
– Asset owner as Registrant, market-facing entity as Account Holder (practical option, each entity is best placed to carry out the relevant tasks on the Registry, least work required).
– Asset owner as Registrant and Account Holder, market-facing entity as additional Account Holder (an additional step is required for the asset-owner to transfer certificates to the market-facing entity for onward sale to buyers).
– Market-facing entity as Registrant and Account Holder (but then the asset-owner needs to provide the market-facing entity with the issuance information on an ongoing basis for the market-facing entity to request certificate issuance).

Yes, you can use different legal entities from the same organisation to be the Account Holder and Registrant. In fact, you can have as many Account Holding and Registrant entities as you wish.

Yes, the same legal entity can be both an Account Holder and a Registrant.

A Registrant provides information to the MiQ Digital Registry in relation to facilities. Registrants can register facilities, provide information relating to audits that have been carried out for its registered facilities, and request the issuance of ICG Certificates. Note that the same legal entity can be both a Registrant and an Account Holder.

Account Holders can receive, hold, transfer, and retire ICG Certificates. Account Holders have accounts on the Registry for these purposes. Account Holders can have ICG Certificates credited into their Registry accounts from other Account Holders. To transfer ICG Certificates between their own Registry accounts or to other Account Holders, an Account Holder will need the unique account code for the destination account. Account Holders can also retire certificates for their own purposes or on behalf of named third-party end-users. Note that the same legal entity can be both an Account Holder and a Registrant.

Fees are charged in arrears each calendar quarter. For example, fees for use of the Registry in October, November, and December will be calculated and invoiced in early January.

All current fees are available here. The only fees chargeable to Account Holders are for retirement.

You cannot request the issuance of certificates until you have been approved as a user on the MiQ Digital Registry. Once you apply, a Know Your Customer (KYC) check will be undertaken. You should aim to apply well in advance so that there is no delay to certificate issuance once the audits of your facilities are completed.

Each organisation can set up multiple users to access the MiQ Digital Registry. When you apply, you will create a primary user. Once the application has been approved, the primary user can create additional users that will each have unique login credentials.

Yes, each organisation that uses the registry must sign the registry operator’s standard contract. The template contract is available in New York and English law. An example of the template contract is available here. The registry operator will send you a version of the agreement that is pre-filled with your entity information to be signed by you once your entity has completed a KYC.

Once you have completed the registration form, the registry operator will contact you for any further information required for it to complete a Know Your Customer (KYC) check on your organisation. This typically includes a certificate of incorporation of the company and financial accounts dated within the last twelve months.

You can apply for free on the MiQ Registry website. Click the ‘Register now’ button.

If you’ve forgotten your password or want to change it, go to the login page and click ‘Forgot your password?’ Once you’ve provided your email address, you’ll be sent a link to securely change your password.

Please log in here.

Certificates expire 36 months following the last day of the issue month. After that time, certificates can no longer be transferred or retired. They will be flagged as expired in your account. A certificate issued for June 2022, for example, must be retired by the end of June 2025, otherwise it will expire.

Certificates exist digitally and are visible in user’s registry accounts.

Transfers of Certificates are evidenced by the digital transfer and receipt into the destination account (much like a bank account).

Assignments and Retirements are evidenced digitally but PDF retirement statements are available and can be corroborated on the MiQ Digital Registry website using a unique link and code.

A list of all certified facilities is available here.

The MiQ Digital Registry currently holds certificates for facilities that have been audited under one or both the MiQ Standard for Methane Emissions Performance and the EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development. Certificates for further certification standards may be added in the future.

Please visit our Digital Registry page for more information or you can visit the MiQ Digital Registry itself. The operational procedures of the MiQ Digital Registry are set out in the MiQ Program Guide, which can be found here.

Independently Certified Gas Certificates (or ICG Certificates) evidence the ESG attributes of fossil natural gas along the natural gas supply chain. ICG Certificates include those issued under the MiQ Standard for Methane Emissions Performance and the EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development.

Please visit our Technical Standard page for more information on the MiQ Standard.

MiQ and Equitable Origin use the term ‘independently certified gas’ because it’s a neutral term unlike RSG which is subjective and implies positive attributes regardless of the specific grade achieved.

RSG doesn’t align with MiQ’s grading system or philosophy about neutral assessment of performance.

There are a few other problems with RSG, including how it can lead to accusations of greenwashing and also implies that all gas that isn’t certified is therefore irresponsible.

Operators undergoing MiQ Certification can work with a wide range of technology partners to achieve certification, ranging from detection to data solutions, analytics, and audit prep and implementation.

The list published on our technology ecosystem page is, however, not exhaustive. Other methane tech vendors are available and can be used for certification.

MiQ is designed to be flexible and adaptable. We have already announced several certification projects in partnership with Equitable Origin, which has a proven track record of certifying energy production on ESG indicators in accordance with its EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development, a set of rigorous ESG performance targets for energy development projects.

Auditor reports – which comprehensively evaluate a facility’s methane emissions performance and recommend a certificate grade – are reviewed by MiQ and its appointed Issuing Body, Evident.

Once approved, MiQ Certificates are issued into the MiQ Digital Registry. MiQ works with Evident/GCC  (the central issuer for I-REC certificates) as the Issuing Body and Digital Registry functions.

To ensure transparency and enable MiQ Certification to be used around the world, gas operators can choose any independent auditor as long as they meet the MiQ accreditation requirements.

Auditors are required to have a proven track record of working in upstream production environments and in-depth methane emissions calculation, monitoring, and mitigation expertise.

There are currently many accredited auditors. Read more about our approach to auditors here.

MiQ is not-for-profit and has no commercial interest in the uptake of certification. The cost of certification is dependent on the cost of the independent auditors, which will vary depending on the company and the complexity and size of the asset seeking certification.

The MiQ Digital Registry also has an ultra-low fee structure which is used to maintain the administration of the registry. Our fees can be found here.

Certification assesses methane emissions from upstream natural gas production as well as natural gas (including associated gas) along the full supply chain including LNG and pipelines.

Producers are awarded a grade across an A-F scale to reflect the variations in the methane emissions performance of natural gas.

MiQ and its auditors assess the methane emissions at facility (asset or platform) level. Our granular approach means that different facilities operated by the same company can end up with a different grading.

For each unit (1 MMBtu) of gas produced at a certified facility, a producer receives an MiQ certificate in their account on the MiQ Digital Registry every month.

The MiQ Digital Registry is the single source of truth on MiQ Certificates, tracking certified gas from production through to retirement by the end-user. The Registry is a secure digital ledger where all MiQ Certificates are held from issuance to retirement.

It creates transparency about methane emissions, prevents double-counting, and enables end-users to claim the environmental credentials for their GHG reporting.

The Registry has an ultra-low fee structure.

– Transparent, robust standards: The MiQ Standard is published on the MiQ website.

– Third-party audited: Impartial auditors or verifiers are a critical ingredient to any certification program.

– Scalable and marketable: MiQ’s Certification is traceable using the MiQ Digital Registry. It is also scalable due to being technology-agnostic, and allowing a range of auditors.

– Avoids cherry picking: MiQ is encouraging all operators undergoing certification to eventually expand to all their assets.

MiQ became the MiQ Foundation in late 2021 and will use its not-for-profit status to continue to drive the rapid reduction of methane emissions in the oil and gas sector.

Methane abatement is more vital now than ever, and oil and gas emissions are low-hanging fruit. MiQ supports the transition to a 100% renewable future, but methane abatement is vital to meet global climate targets.

Methane has over 80 times the global warming potential of CO₂, so reducing it helps buy time. The oil and gas industry emits the equivalent of 7bn tonnes of CO₂ per annum but has the tools to abate up to 5.7bn tonnes by 2030. This would get us nearly 20% of the way toward halving annual GHG emissions and is equivalent to taking 1.2bn cars off the road.

MiQ is a globally applicable Standard and Certification system. We have currently certified in North America and are aiming to expand to Europe and Asia in the future. Our offices are in Colorado and London.

MiQ works with operators in the oil and gas sector to help them get an independent assessment of their methane emissions performance, and therefore to reduce methane emissions. The operators MiQ currently works with include ExxonMobil, BP, Repsol, EQT, NNE, Comstock, Chesapeake, Ascent Resources, and Seneca Resources.

MiQ has also accredited ten auditors and is looking to work with many more. If you would like to become an MiQ-accredited auditor, please contact us.

Operators undergoing MiQ Certification can work with a wide range of technology partners to achieve certification, ranging from detection to data solutions, analytics, and audit prep and implementation.

We are also looking to work with regulators across the world to help deliver a globally recognised standard for methane emissions. Learn more here.

Originally, MiQ was set up as a partnership between RMI, formerly the Rocky Mountain Institute, and global sustainability consultancy  SYSTEMIQ.

MiQ became The MiQ Foundation in late 2021 and will use its status to continue to drive the rapid reduction of methane emissions in the oil and gas sector.

MiQ is headed by Georges Tijbosch and has a board comprising of leaders in the field of climate action.

MiQ was established in late 2020 to enable massive reductions in methane emissions from the oil and gas sector with the aim to certify 100% of the world’s natural gas production.

Originally, MiQ was set up as a partnership between RMI, formerly the Rocky Mountain Institute, and global sustainability consultancy SYSTEMIQ.

MiQ is headed by CEO, Georges Tijbosch.

MiQ stands for Methane Intelligence.

MiQ is the fastest growing and most trusted non-profit methane reduction accelerator. We pioneered the use of Independently Certified Gas (ICG) to accelerate the wholesale reduction of methane emissions and are working with the world’s biggest oil and gas producers to provide the data to drive change.

MiQ was founded by RMI and SYSTEMIQ because methane abatement is more vital now than ever, and oil and gas emissions are low-hanging fruit.

MiQ’s Methane Standard is the only credible way to create drastic improvements. This Standard provides a robust, transparent, and reliable grading method (A-F) to certify natural gas according to its methane emissions performance during production. MiQ-accredited independent auditors perform the assessment.

MiQ’s Certified Supply Chain covers the whole supply chain, allowing operators to assess methane emissions from start to finish.

MiQ has created a market for Independently Certified Gas, and certificates are ready for transacting on the MiQ’s Digital Registry.