GHG Verification - Utilities (Electricity, Gas, Waste, Water)

Whether working with electricity, gas, water or waste, utility companies have their own unique blend of verification requirements. CICS provides verification both to those of you who are active in just one area and a "joined-up approach" for those operators who have a complex range of services.

Below are some of the specific areas where verification is required.

Electricity and Electricity Transmission

CICS is a key verifier in the power generation sector. Our verifiers are familiar with the electricity grid characteristics for individual countries and understand the importance of applying correct emission factors for individual regions (especially where green electricity plays a major part). We also know that, for installations where electricity transmission occurs, the accounting for this is crucial because of the high Global Warming Potential (GWP) of SF6.

CICS verifiers also work with organisations that want or need to verify their electricity usage as an indirect (Scope 2) emission, particularly those with a high usage.

Gas and Gas Storage

As natural gas usage increases over that of other fossil fuels we are seeing a greater emergence of gas storage facilities and distribution networks. Our verifiers in the CICS power generation team are familiar with the intricacies of gas storage and distribution and can therefore confidently assist you with issues such as exclusions and losses.

Water

Understanding the carbon footprint of water supply (extraction, treatment, supply) and the treatment of wastewater are all part of our remit under the normal verification protocols. Additionally, water footprinting is an area of increasing interest and CICS is looking to become an accredited verifier once there is a consensus on the methodology.

Waste

Throughout the last decade the verification of waste has been a hot topic and largely at the mercy of economic forces. It is important that recycling rates are verified to add credibility to claims from organisations and to help formulate government policy.

An independent verification of the recycled content of a material will provide you with the opportunity to differentiate your organisation from your competitors.

We offer the following services:

  • EU ETS Verification
    If your business falls under the EU ETS Scheme, we can independently verify your GHG emissions data quickly and efficiently. We offer baseline emissions verification, new entrant reserve (NER) verification, annual and split verification, across single or multi sites.

  • CSR
    Independent verification of your CSR Report is a discriminator of real commitment and action and satisfies your stakeholders’ demands for accuracy, validity, materiality, transparency.

  • Carbon Footprinting
    For utilities Carbon Footprinting can take several forms – for the organisation itself, for the service provided and for the supply chain and/or distribution network. The Utilities sector is leading the way in providing transparency of the environmental impact of their operations to their consumers.

  • PAS 2050
    CICS is only one of four verification bodies in the UK that is accredited to verify against the PAS 2050 Standard (for the carbon footprinting of goods and services across the full lifecycle) and the associated Code of Good Practice by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service).