Trusted tracking for biomethane
Biomethane is playing a growing role in Canada’s transition to a low-carbon future. But as supply increases, so does the need for transparency, credibility, and trust.
The Canadian Low-Emission Energy Registry
The Canadian Low-Emission Energy Registry (CLEER) is a secure, independent platform to track and verify biomethane from production to end use — ensuring that every unit of biomethane can be confidently accounted for.
Once in operation, the CLEER will issue a unique environmental attribute certificate for each unit of biomethane produced, and track those environmental attribute from production to consumption. The name given to the environmental attribute certificate in the CLEER is Biomethane Guarantee of Origin (BiomethaneGO).
BiomethaneGOs can be transferred between a variety of counterparties before being allocated to gas consumers and permanently retired so that it can never be used again. The CLEER ensures that only one BiomethaneGO is issued for each unit of biomethane, that they are transferred securely, and only ever allocated to one consumer. By doing so we provide certainty that biomethane supplies are not double counted.
CLEER is being implemented by the Canadian Gas Association and is supported by our partners. The CLEER is expected to begin operations in December 2026.
Designed for Canada
Built with Canadian regulations and market needs in mind, the CLEER aligns with international best practices while supporting local frameworks. It enables interoperability with other leading registries, helping Canadian biomethane participate in global markets.
Why it matters
Building confidence in biomethane
A robust registry creates trust across the market. Producers, utilities, and buyers can rely on consistent, standardized tracking and verification.
Avoid double counting
Each unit of biomethane is uniquely identified by BiomethaneGO and only one consumer can claim that BiomethaneGO. This ensures environmental claims are credible and transparent.
Unlock market access
The CLEER enables biomethane to be traded across regions and sectors — supporting compliance markets, voluntary climate goals, and corporate sustainability strategies.
How it works
Registration
Biomethane producers register their facilities and production data.
Certificate issuance
Verified volumes of biomethane are converted into digital certificates called Biomethane Guarantees of Origin (BiomethaneGOs).
Tracking & transfer
BiomethaneGOs can be securely transferred between market participants.
Retirement
When used, BiomethaneGOs are retired in the registry to support environmental claims — ensuring they cannot be reused.
Founding partners
Implementation partners
Acknowledgements
CGA gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Natural Resources Canada and the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions.
Biomethane and BiomethaneGOs
What is biomethane?
Biomethane (also known as renewable natural gas, or RNG), is made from renewable energy sources such as agricultural and food waste, and wastewater and landfill gas. Biomethane is chemically identical to natural gas and can therefore be delivered by natural gas utilities through the same pipeline system, and burned in the same appliances without any impact to performance.
Why is biomethane low-emission energy?
Biomethane is a type of low-emission energy that can have significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to natural gas.
Both natural gas and biomethane release carbon dioxide when burned in furnaces or other heating appliances. However, biomethane is produced from plant-based matter that absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to grow. If left to decompose on its own, this matter would return its carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere. The production and combustion of biomethane is part of this short-term carbon cycle. Therefore, while burning natural gas releases carbon dioxide that has been trapped in the earth for eons and increases the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, burning biomethane returns to the atmosphere the carbon dioxide that was absorbed from the atmosphere by the same plants as they grew.
BiomethaneGOs do not track actual molecules of biomethane, and consumers who normally take gas from their natural gas utility should not claim to have physically consumed biomethane. However, BiomethaneGOs do allow consumers to match their consumption to biomethane produced, and to allow them to claim to have bought that biomethane and to own the associated environmental benefits.
Recognition of the consumption of biomethane via the use of BiomethaneGOs varies depending on different regulations and GHG reporting guidelines.
Biomethane Guarantees of Origin (BiomethaneGO)
Biomethane is injected into the natural gas system where it mixes with fossil natural gas and it is not possible to track the actual biomethane molecules.
The Canadian Low-Emission Energy Registry is founded on the principle that low-emission energy is comprised of two products: (i) the physical molecules and the energy it provides, and (ii) the environmental benefits that are quantified and captured in an environmental attribute certificate. Each product is tracked and traded separately.
The CLEER issues Biomethane Guarantees of Origin (BiomethaneGOs – the name given to the environmental attribute certificate issued by the CLEER) for each gigajoule of biomethane produced to document and track the environmental benefits of biomethane in a central registry. Each BiomethaneGO contains information about where, when, and how that gigajoule of biomethane was produced.
While biomethane flows through Canada’s natural gas system freely in response to supply and demand in different parts of the system, BiomethaneGO transactions are managed on CLEER. This enables broader adoption of biomethane when physical transport isn’t always feasible.
When a natural gas consumer buys a BiomethaneGO they are matching the gas that they have withdrawn from their natural gas utility to the unit of biomethane that was produced and injected into the Canadian natural gas network. The BiomethaneGO will be retired and will not be available to any other gas consumer, thereby assuring that each molecule of biomethane, and its impact on reducing GHG emissions from fossil natural gas consumption, is counted only once.
Consumer claims
BiomethaneGOs do not track actual molecules of biomethane, and consumers who normally take gas from their natural gas utility should not claim to have physically consumed biomethane. However, BiomethaneGOs do allow consumers to match their consumption to biomethane produced, and to allow them to claim to have bought that biomethane and to own the associated environmental benefits.
Recognition of the consumption of biomethane via the use of BiomethaneGOs varies depending on different regulations and GHG reporting guidelines.
