FAQs

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.