Certification schemes > Low-Carbon Scheme
CERTIFHY EU LOW-CARBON HYDROGEN CERTIFICATION SCHEME
DEFINITION
Following the adoption of the Delegated Act (DA) on low-carbon hydrogen and e-fuels, CertifHy has initiated the development of a Low-Carbon Hydrogen Scheme document as a scope extension to the existing CertifHy EU RFNBO Voluntary Scheme. This architectural approach preserves a “core” set of documentation including governance, traceability and chain of custody requirements, while introducing a dedicated low-carbon hydrogen certification framework aligned with the new DA.
Work commenced in September 2025. The CertifHy Technical Committee has prepared an initial draft of the Low-Carbon Hydrogen Scheme document, and, in line with our governance procedures, stakeholder consultation is underway through Working Group 1 (WG1) of the CertifHy Stakeholder Platform. WG1 participants received the first draft in early November and convened on 20 November 2025 to provide input and discuss open questions with the WG1 coordinators, Pierre Krenn and Matthias Altmann. Relevant feedback will be incorporated into subsequent iterations of the Scheme document.
CertifHy invites hydrogen and e-fuel industry stakeholders to participate in WG1 and contribute to the development of the Low-Carbon Scheme extension. Your engagement will help ensure that the scheme is both compliant with the DA and operationally practicable.
Following WG1 review and approval by the CertifHy Steering Committee, CertifHy will submit the Low-Carbon Hydrogen Scheme document to the European Commission to seek formal recognition. An iterative review with the Commission is expected to address outstanding questions and technical clarifications.
During this period of development and refinement, the CertifHy EU RFNBO Voluntary Scheme remains available to market participants without interruption. In addition, existing certificates issued under the CertifHy EU RFNBO Voluntary Scheme remain valid for their full prescribed period throughout and after the development of the CertifHy Low-Carbon Hydrogen Certification Scheme.
BENEFITS
CertifHy welcomes the adoption of the Low-Carbon Delegated Act as a significant milestone in European Union hydrogen policy. With a robust low-carbon hydrogen certification scheme in place, Economic Operators across the entire value chain can broaden their market reach, improve project bankability and reduce offtake risk.
- Broader market access: RFNBO certification enables access to EU compliance-driven segments such as transport and industry under RED and other sectoral regulations. Low-carbon certification widens access to non-EU jurisdictions and to market segments where RFNBO certification is not yet required or recognised. This provides additional flexibility for hydrogen producers and e-fuel projects.
- Customer diversification: Some buyers, including obligated parties and certain fuel suppliers, require RFNBO certification for EU regulatory compliance. Other buyers, such as voluntary purchasers, international offtakers and sectors with more flexible provenance requirements, may accept or prefer low-carbon hydrogen certification, especially in regions where renewable electricity sourcing is constrained.
- Risk mitigation and bankability: As policy and market definitions evolve across different jurisdictions, dual certification under both the RFNBO scheme and the low-carbon hydrogen scheme provides operational flexibility. This allows Economic Operators to manage regulatory changes, adapt to demand variability and strengthen project bankability. Access to a broader pool of potential offtakers supports financing and enhances revenue resilience.
- Price realization: RFNBO-certified hydrogen can achieve price premiums in compliance-driven EU markets, while low-carbon hydrogen certification can deliver value in segments where measurable carbon intensity reductions and sector-specific incentives drive purchasing decisions, including voluntary and CSR-oriented markets. Economic Operators can segment production hours or consignments to allocate RFNBO-eligible volumes to compliance markets while monetising remaining low carbon intensity volumes through low-carbon channels.
If you would like to contribute to the development of the CertifHy EU Low-Carbon Hydrogen Certification Scheme, we invite you to join Working Group 1 of the CertifHy Stakeholder Platform.
LOW-CARBON SCHEME DOCUMENTS
Document in consultation stage. Restricted access for CertifHy Stakeholder Platform Members.
