From the 2025–26 reporting year, National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Scheme reporters can use eligible certificates to support a scope 1 market-based claim for renewable gas consumed through a natural gas network.
This applies where renewable gas is blended with natural gas and transported through shared infrastructure.
Eligible certificates
NGER reporters can use the following certificates to support a market based renewable gas claim.
Product Guarantee of Origin (PGO) certificates for:
- biomethane
- hydrogen.
Renewable Gas Guarantee of Origin certificates issued under the NSW GreenPower Renewable Gas Certification program for:
- biomethane
- hydrogen.
Using certificates for renewable gas claims
Renewable gas doesn’t need to be physically delivered to a facility. Instead, the attributes of renewable gas injected into a shared natural gas network are transferred when consumption information is added to PGO certificates for the reporting year.
Consumption information must be added to a PGO certificate:
- after the start of the relevant NGER reporting year
- before the facility’s NGER report is submitted (reports must be submitted by 31 October).
A facility may report renewable gas only:
- up to the amount represented by eligible PGO certificates
- on the amount adjusted for network losses
- up to the total quantity of natural gas drawn from the network during the reporting year.
Any remaining gas consumed from the natural gas network must be reported as natural gas.
Certificate eligibility requirements
To be used under the NGER Scheme market based method, PGO certificates must:
- include consumption information showing that the renewable gas was consumed at the reporting facility
- represent hydrogen or biomethane injected into a natural gas network within the 24 months before the end of the NGER reporting year
- include consumption information added by a registered consumption profile holder which may be an NGER reporter or facility, or another registered participant acting on the facility’s behalf under a PGO consumption profile.
Facilities with or without Safeguard Mechanism obligations may use eligible PGO certificates for scope 1 reporting.
Safeguard facilities and double counting
Extra rules apply where biomethane is also part of an ACCU scheme project that is generating biomethane displacement ACCUs.
To prevent double counting of emissions benefits, a PGO certificate cannot represent renewable gas where a biomethane displacement ACCU has been surrendered to reduce a facility’s net emissions number under the Safeguard Mechanism.
Steps to claim renewable gas using PGO certificates
The facility must consume gas supplied through a natural gas network, such as:
- the east coast gas market
- the Western Australia gas market.
The renewable gas may be blended with natural gas within the network.
Appropriate contractual arrangements must be in place with the renewable gas producer, retailer or another supply chain participant to support the renewable gas claim.
To use PGO certificates, the facility must either:
- be registered as a participant in the Guarantee of Origin (GO) Scheme
- have arrangements in place for another registered participant to act on its behalf.
A facility may either:
- register as a GO participant and hold its own PGO consumption profile, allowing it to add consumption information directly to certificates
- rely on another registered participant (such as a producer, retailer or aggregator) to hold a consumption profile and add consumption information on its behalf.
Facilities should use a single facility consumption profile to ensure renewable gas consumption is clearly linked to the reporting facility.
Consumption information must be added to PGO certificates to demonstrate that the renewable gas is claimed as consumed at the facility.
This may be done by:
- the NGER reporter or facility
- another authorised party acting under a registered PGO consumption profile.
Once consumption information has been added and the certificate has completed the Annual Reconciliation Check, the PGO certificate is finalised. Its information and attributes can’t be changed.
When preparing the facility’s NGER report:
- apply the market-based method to report renewable gas consumption supported by PGO certificates
- report only the amount represented by eligible PGO certificates (adjusted for network losses) as renewable gas
- report any remaining gas consumed from the network as natural gas.
The NGER report must clearly identify:
- that the market-based method has been used
- the PGO certificates relied on
- the volume of renewable gas those certificates represent.
Contractual and commercial arrangements
We administer the PGO and the NGER Scheme in accordance with legislation. We don’t oversee, enforce or validate commercial or contractual arrangements relating to renewable gas.
Agreements covering the supply, pricing, ownership or delivery of renewable gas are commercial matters between parties and sit outside our role.
Any disputes about renewable gas supply, certificate use or entitlement to claims must be resolved through contractual arrangements. We don’t mediate or arbitrate commercial disputes.