AIB is hiring - Communications And Policy Officer “Energy Certification” Read more on our Careers page.
Important! Scheduled outage of EECS GO international transfers due to a go-live of new AIB Hub moved to April 2025. AIB is finalizing an IT project of implementing a new AIB Hub, which is a communication system enabling transfers of EECS GOs between AIB member registries. Before this new AIB Hub goes live, it is necessary to perform an outage of the Hub to migrate data and settings from the old Hub. This outage is scheduled to take place for one week in April 2025. During the outage, no transfers of EECS GOs can take place between AIB member registries. Please take this into account when scheduling your operations for upcoming months. In case of any changes to this time plan, we will provide an update on our website and LinkedIn page.
AIB has standardised energy certification for all energy carriers in Europe: the European Energy Certificate System - "EECS".
EECS is based on structures and procedures which ensure the reliable operation of energy certificate schemes in Europe. These schemes meet the criteria of objectivity, non-discrimination, transparency, and cost-effectiveness to facilitate the international exchange of guarantees of origin.
The AIB operates an inter-registry communications Hub connecting all national registries.
In 2024 AIB has 37 members from 30 European countries (EU, EEA and Energy Community member states). All are Issuing Bodies appointed by their government to administer a system for Guarantees of Origin (GOs) for electricity. 30 of them are members of the EECS Electricity Scheme Group, meaning that they can issue EECS GOs and transfer those over the AIB HUB. ERE Albania, SEDA Bulgaria and COTEE Montenegro are in the application phase. There are 4 formal Gas Scheme group members: Gasgrid Finland, Enagas Spain, E-Control Austria and Conexus Latvia. During 2023, AIB welcomed GSE Georgia as observer of AIB.
In 2023, 988 million certificates, or 988 TWh were issued based on production date, 1.410 TWh was transferred (nationally and internationally) and 785 TWh were cancelled. The market for electricity GOs continues to grow.
The AIB provides a knowledge centre for energy certificate authorities across Europe, providing and sharing advice and guidance.
AIB membership and Hub connection are distinct processes, involving two phases: AIB membership and joining the EECS Electricity and/or Gas Scheme, including Hub connection.
To become an AIB member, an issuing body must fill out an application form, commit to comply with the EECS Rules, and be approved by the AIB Board and General Meeting. Members pay a fee, can attend all meetings, and access the Members section of the website, but they can't vote.
Next, to join the EECS Scheme, members must draft a Domain Protocol, obtain insurance, sign a Hub Participant Agreement, and test registry software. After thorough AIB review, the member gains Scheme Membership through a decision of all members and connects to the AIB Hub, allowing the import, issuance, and export of EECS GOs.
This second phase can take 6 months to 1-2 years, depending on resources, registry status, and national legislation changes.
AIB led the drafting of a report with “Harmonised Rules for handling guarantees of origin for energy carrier conversion”, which is now finalised. The report proposes harmonised rules for energy carrier conversion, for issuing bodies and registry operators. More here.
If you are an issuing body for GOs or voluntary certificates and wish to join, then read more here. See a generic presentation about AIB and GOs or take a look at our Youtube channel, which contains videos about the AIB and guarantees of origin.
All these documents, presentations and information are developed by the AIB, its members and market parties.
The AIB facilitates a forum for issuing bodies who administer a reliable system of internationally tradeable energy certificates. AIB now also facilitates independent decision making by gas issuing bodies on gas related aspects.
The European Energy Certificate System (EECS) provides a basic ruleset for energy certificates for all energy carriers and several purposes. The Electricity Scheme has been operational for almost two decades, the EECS Gas Scheme has been added in November 2019. The EECS Rules have also adopted rules that facilitate GO issuing following energy carrier conversion.
AIB operates a Hub for international trade of energy certificates, avoiding bilateral connections between registries. 600 TWh of electricity guarantees of origin were transferred internationally in 2019.
The EECS Gas GO Scheme fully facilitates guarantees of origin for gaseous energy carriers (including hydrogen) under article 19 of the Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001, and their effective cross border transfer. It also facilitates voluntary data fields on the gas certificate, which can be used for other purposes (sustainability criteria, green house gas emission data, assessment reports certifying their value, etc). This is a building block towards also art. 25-31 of REDII certification and can be further developed.
AIB encourages and facilitates (aspiring) gas issuing bodies to join the EECS Gas Scheme Group and share experience, establish practice and further refine the rules.
More information on info@aib-net.org.
The AIB holds two General Meetings per year. The next General Meeting will take place on 28 November 2024. (Members only, observers on invitation).
