SURE Certification
SUSTAINBALE RESOURCES Verification
With RED II, the EU's Renewable Energy Directive, the obligation to provide evidence of compliance with sustainability criteria for biomass was extended. RED I previously applied only to operators producing liquid biofuels or biomethane as fuels, as well as the upstream and downstream supply chain.
Plants using gaseous fuels with a firing thermal capacity > 2MW (approx. 850 kW electrical output), require sustainability certification in accordance with the requirements of the new RED II.
Operators of biogas plants that generate electricity or heat/cold must demonstrate the sustainability of the biomass used and produced, a mass balance, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency.
Plants that generate electricity or heat/cold from solid biomass are also subject to the verification requirement if their rated thermal input is > 20 MW.
In the certification process, the sustainability of the entire supply chain is considered, e.g. also the suppliers of the biomass, the electricity / heat generating unit (CHP), or biogas generating unit (BGA). The verification obligation applies to the entire supply chain - therefore supplying biogas and biogas upgrading plants must accordingly have a sustainability certification. Certificates from ISCC-EU, REDcert and SURE can be applied by suppliers under mutual recognition.
The SURE system does not map sustainability certifications for transportation fuel production.
For which operator is a certification required
- Biogas plants with a rated thermal input of > 2 MW
- Solid biofuel plants with a rated thermal input of > 20 MW
The Sustainable Resources Verification Scheme (SURE) is a certification system that can be used to prove that the sustainability criteria for the generation of electricity and heat from solid and gaseous biomass comply with the EU Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001/EG – RED II.
SURE, as a so-called "system provider", has created a certification system accredited by the EU Commission with which the requirements of RED II can be tested for conformity and is approved by the EU Commission - along with other system providers (ISCC, REDcert) - in the EU.
To perform sustainability reporting, the following steps are required for an operating unit:
- Conclusion of a SURE-EU system contract (registration on the SURE web-site)
- Commissioning of an independent recognized certification body, which is listed with SURE as an accredited body.
- After the certificate is issued, registration in Nabisy (Sustainable Biomass System) takes place.
- Quarterly transfer of the sustainability quantities into the Nabisy system
In the Nabisy database, the sustainably generated electricity quantities must be reported by the so-called "last interfaces". In the database, corresponding sustainability certificates are generated for the reported electricity quantities, which are forwarded to the respective network operator.
Operating units with SURE areas of applicability :
- 5101 Electricity from biomass (solid biomass)
- 5201 Electricity from biogas (raw biogas)
- 5301 Electricity from biomethane
are to be registered at the Nabisy database of the BLE.
In Germany, the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) monitors that RED II and BioSt-NachV are properly applied. In addition, the BLE accredits the certification bodies that are ultimately allowed to carry out the sustainability audits.
After issuing a sustainability certificate, a generating station must enter its generated quantities into the Nabisy database of the BLE on a quarterly basis. Sustainability certificates are then generated for these respective electricity quantities, which are forwarded to the respective network operator. For biogas plants with a thermal capacity of > 2 MW, these sustainability certificates are also required for the EEG compensation.
The Federal Agency for Agriculture has published a Nabisy manual on its website; (German language Nabisy-Handbuch)
Eine SURE Zertifizierung eignet sich für:
- Agricultural biomass producers
- Producers of forestry biomass
- Producers of waste and residual materials
- Producers of biomass fuels
- Biomass and biofuel trade and related logistics
- Producers of heat and electricity from biomass fuels
Division of scopes:
1101 Group manager agricultural production companies
1201 Group manager forestry production plants
1301 Group manager waste and residues generating plants
1102 Producing farm agricultural biomass
1202 Forestry biomass production plant
1302 Waste and residues generating plant
2101 First producer of agricultural biomass
2201 First collector of forestry biomass
2301 Collector of waste and residual materials
3101 Processing plant agricultural biomass
3201 Processing plant forestry biomass
3301 Waste and residues treatment plant
3401 Biogas plant (raw biogas, fermentation)
3402 Biogas plant (raw biogas, gasification)
3403 Biomethane upgrading plant
4001 Supplier before last interface
5101 Electricity from biomass (solid biomass)
5102 Heat from biomass (solid biomass)
5201 Electricity from biogas (raw biogas)
5202 Heat from biogas (raw biogas)
5301 Electricity from biomethane
5302 Heat from biomethane
In the Nabisy database, generated sustainable electricity quantities must be reported by the last interfaces only.
In the SURE database, the quantities of sustainable biomass or biomethane of all interfaces must be recorded. This quantity accounting is part of the annual audititerung.
Self-declarations are an essential part of the verification process. Self-declarations are to be submitted on the one hand by biomass cultivation plants and on the other hand by plants producing waste and residual materials (slurry, manure).
With the self-declarations, the respective delivery points confirm that the delivered input materials are sustainable and thus the requirements of RED II can be met. Cultivation or production companies can also submit several self-declarations (e.g. due to changed delivery sequences, types or quantities) to one or more final interfaces.
Self-declarations issued are only valid for 12 months and must be obtained again each year from the relevant supply points.
Self-declarations are provided by SURE as a template form.
- Self-declaration(s) of the cultivation and waste material delivery points.
Using so-called self-declarations, which SURE makes available as a form template, proof must be provided to the initial collectors or collection points that the specified biomass meets the REDcert sustainability criteria. After an initial collection, self-declarations from subsequent interfaces are no longer possible, but only verified proof of sustainability.
Certain supply points with compliance to a requirement specified by SURE, may be required to be audited onsite by verifiers in the audit.
- Delivery documentation
The relevant proof of delivery is checked in an audit. Only demonstrably compliant deliveries can be validated as sustainable.
All sustainable biomass supplies for the production of electricity / heat has to be clearly labeled
1. for the respective traceability test to the point of origin and
2. for the evaluation of the type of origin
All sustainable biomass deliveries must have been weighed (t) or measured (m³) to determine the quantities. -
- Mass balancing
Mass balancing must be maintained for each operating site and is. Sustainable and non-sustainable input quantities must be explicitly balanced separately. Within the sustainable input quantities, a separation of different substrate-specific sustainability properties must be provided.
- Greenhouse gas accounting
For plants commissioned after 01.01.2021, proof of greenhouse gas emission savings is mandatory. A saving of 70% compared to fossil fuels is mandatory for these plants.
Umweltgutachterorganisation
Technische Überwachungsorganisation
Zertifizierungen und Umweltgutachten
