Electricity · Ofgem
REGO certificates: proof of renewable origin, one MWh at a time
REGO certificates are Ofgem’s Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin: one for each megawatt hour of eligible renewable electricity.
Suppliers use them to show customers their fuel mix, and companies use them for market-based Scope 2 claims.
They do not change a location-based Scope 2 figure.
What a REGO is
A certificate, not the electricity
Ofgem says the scheme “provides transparency to consumers” about the proportion of electricity suppliers source from renewables.
Generating stations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland that produce electricity from eligible renewable sources apply for accreditation through the renewable electricity register.
One REGO is issued per megawatt hour of eligible output.
Once issued, a REGO can be traded with or without the electricity it was issued for.
Ofgem administers the scheme for Great Britain on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and for Northern Ireland on behalf of the Utility Regulator.
Fuel mix disclosure
What suppliers use them for
Fuel Mix Disclosure requires licensed suppliers to tell existing and potential customers the mix of fuels (coal, gas, nuclear, renewable and other) used to generate the electricity they supply.
Ofgem’s certificates page says that on 1 July, all REGOs in suppliers’ accounts are redeemed for use in the Fuel Mix Disclosure.
| Certificate | Recognised for GB fuel mix disclosure |
|---|---|
| UK REGO | Yes |
| EU Guarantee of Origin (GoO) | No, from the disclosure period beginning 1 April 2023 |
Scope 2
What a REGO does to your Scope 2
A REGO is a contractual instrument, so it belongs in the market-based Scope 2 method of the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance, and only if it meets the Guidance’s Quality Criteria.
The location-based figure does not move when a company buys REGOs.
UK SRS S2 paragraph 29(a)(v) requires location-based Scope 2, plus information about any contractual instruments needed to understand it.
The GHG Protocol says the two totals should not be read as gross and net.
“Our REGO-backed tariff makes our Scope 2 zero” is true, at most, of the market-based figure.
The two methods are compared on Scope 2 emissions, and the grid factor for the location-based figure is in the UK GHG conversion factors.
Frequently asked
REGO certificates, answered
What is a REGO certificate?
A Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin, issued by Ofgem to generators in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
One REGO is issued for each megawatt hour of eligible renewable electricity, and it shows that the electricity was generated from renewable sources.
What are REGOs used for?
Ofgem says their primary use is Fuel Mix Disclosure, under which licensed electricity suppliers tell customers the mix of fuels used to generate the electricity they supply.
Ofgem’s guidance adds secondary uses in sustainability disclosures, such as RE100, and in carbon accounting.
Can REGOs be bought separately from the electricity?
Yes.
Ofgem’s guidance says that once issued, REGOs can be traded with or without the electricity they were issued for.
That is why a REGO-backed tariff is a contractual claim, not a statement about the physical electricity on the grid.
Do EU Guarantees of Origin count in the UK?
Not for Great Britain fuel mix disclosure from the disclosure period beginning 1 April 2023.
In the other direction, the EU has not recognised UK REGOs since 1 January 2021.
Does a REGO tariff make our Scope 2 emissions zero?
Only under the market-based method, and only where the instruments meet the GHG Protocol Quality Criteria.
The location-based figure, which UK SRS S2 requires, is unaffected by REGOs.
Does UK SRS require market-based Scope 2?
No. UK SRS S2 paragraph 29(a)(v) requires location-based Scope 2 and information about any contractual instruments needed to understand it.
Market-based reporting is allowed alongside it, not required.
Who runs the REGO scheme?
Ofgem, for generation in Great Britain on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and in Northern Ireland on behalf of the Utility Regulator.
Sources
Primary sources
The scheme facts are Ofgem’s; the reporting rules are UK SRS S2’s and the GHG Protocol’s.
- OfgemRenewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO)
What REGOs are, one per MWh, Fuel Mix Disclosure, and the end of mutual recognition with EU Guarantees of Origin.
- OfgemREGO Guidance for generators, agents and suppliers
REGOs can be traded with or without the electricity; secondary uses in carbon accounting.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures, ¶29(a)(v) and ¶¶B30–B31
Location-based Scope 2, plus information about contractual instruments.
- GHG ProtocolScope 2 Guidance (2015), Table 7.1 and §7.4
The market-based method and the Scope 2 Quality Criteria.