Upstream emission reductions (UERV)

The regulation on offsetting Upstream Emission Reductions against the Green­house Gas Emission Reduction Requirement enables companies that market liquid fuels in Germany to meet their greenhouse gas reduction quota by up to 1.2 percent through upstream emission reductions from the commitment year 2020 onwards.

Under current German law, the obligation to reduce greenhouse gases and the possibility of offsetting upstream emission reductions continue to apply beyond 2020.

UERV Projects

The UERV serves to implement the Directive (EU) 2015/652 (implementing provisions for the Fuel Quality Directive). This concerns greenhouse gas reductions achieved in projects before raw materials for petrol, diesel and liquid gas fuel reach a refinery or storage facility.

Typical upstream emission reduction projects are:

  • Flaring of associated gases in crude oil production
  • Energy efficiency projects in the production of crude oil
  • Use of renewable energies in the production of crude oil
  • Traffic shift for the transport of crude oil (e.g. truck to pipe)
  • Efficiency increases in international crude oil shipping

In order to obtain UER evidence, project owners must first draw up project documentation describing the planned project activities. You will find the template form in English on the DEHST website. The planned project must then be checked by a validation body such as GUTcert. The validation is carried out according to the regulations of the UERV as well as DIN EN ISO 14064 (edition May 2012), DIN EN ISO 14065 (edition July 2013) and ISO 14066 (edition April 2011).

As the validation body, GUTcert checks whether the planned project activity of the project owner fulfils the requirements for approval and whether the information provided by the project owner is correct and complete. After approval by the Federal Environment Agency and the implementation and monitoring of the project, a final verification of the realized upstream emission reductions (EER) is carried out.

As the verification body, GUTcert checks whether the project owner has correctly determined the upstream emission reductions. The verification report is submitted to the project owner and the UBA. If the verification is successful, the Federal Environment Agency issues UER certificates upon request. These can then be transferred from the quota obligor to the devaluation account of the biofuel quota unit.

GUTcert as validation and verification body

GUTcert is registered by the Federal Environment Agency as a validation and verification body according to § 33 paragraph 1 Upstream Emission Reduction Ordinance (UERV). We are one of the leading inspections bodies in emissions trading and are registered with the DAkkS with a comprehensive industry approval.

With many years of experience we verify emission reports of all industries with stationary plants, in aviation and also in the MRV system (Measuring, Reporting and Verification) of shipping. GUTcert is also an accredited certification for the standards ISCC EU and REDcert EU checking compliance with the sustainability requirements for the production of biofuels according to EU Directive 2009/28/EC.

Our customers benefit from

  • Experienced auditors from the fields of Clean Development Mechanism projects and emissions trading
  • Efficient and result-oriented audits
  • Close communication and a clearly structured process by our team of experts
  • Clearly arranged offers without small print
product data sheet

Would you like to implement UERV projects?

We will be happy to provide you with an individual offer for your project or to answer your open questions. As a subsidiary of the AFNOR Group, we offer our services worldwide.