Initiative Highlights from Highwood ‘s Voluntary Initiatives Report 2022
The MiQ Stanard is 1 of 24 initiatives that are analyzed in-depth in the Highwood voluntary Emissions Reduction Initiatives Report 2022. Download the full report here.
The MiQ Standard is an independently-audited certification initiative spearheaded by a partnership between Rocky Mountain Institute and SystemIQ in 2020. The MiQ Standard requires operators across the natural gas value chain to disclose their methane emissions intensity, deploy advanced methane monitoring technology, include all detected events into their emissions inventory, and implement emission control best practices. It promotes holistic performance evaluation by including the company’s methane policies, procedures, and plans in its assessment.
Implementing a six-tier grading system, the Standard requires increasing performance and commitment in three pillars: Methane Intensity, Company Practices, and Monitoring Technology Deployment.
Participants are held accountable through public disclosure, a point system predicated on methane intensity, and an auditing process comprised of accredited third- party inspectors.
Companies certified in MiQ enjoy the benefits of having differentiated gas. The MiQ Registry, the certificates-tracking hub of the MiQ Standard, is used by operators to attract buyers looking for accountable and verifiable energy for their own emissions management initiatives. The Registry provides the platform for tracking certificates from inception to retirement/end-of-use – as the physical gas moves, so do the certificates.
MiQ’s approach highlights their receptiveness to external input, and their commitment to adaptability as technologies and best practices evolve within methane measurement – a principle they call the “dynamic standard.” In the near-term, MiQ aims to:
1. Expand to include methodologies to calculate emissions from all GHGs
2. Certify an entire supply chain (i.e. from production to distribution grid, or through LNG) and has developed the Standards to do so, including for crude and natural gas liquids.
Initiative Analysis
| Initiative Type | Certification |
| Inception | 2020 |
| Centro comercial Moctezuma | Francisco Chang |
| Geographic coverage | Global |
| Reporting Disclosure | Level 5C |
| Public Disclosure | Level 4 |
| Initiative Transparency | Level 4 |
| Measurement of performance | Methane intensity, deployment of detection technology, implementation of best practices |
| Methane measurement requirements | A combination of source level, facility scale, and/or continuous monitoring technologies |
| Emissions quantification | NGSI methane intensity metric, direct measurements |
| Level of Engagement | 14 Facilities (total of 600bcf certified) |
| Sector applicability | Production, Gathering and Boosting, Processing, Transmission, Storage, LNG |
| Coverage | Global |
| Emissions Quantification | Scope 1, and 2 |
*To learn more about the disclosure definitions and reporting levels please Download the full report here.
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