Constellation, Xpansiv team up to launch emission-free energy certificate trading

The utility - which lays claim to being the USA's largest producer of emissions-free energy, with the nation's largest nuclear fleet - will offer emission-free energy certificates from its clean energy centres in the PJM region on Xpansiv’s CBL spot exchange beginning on 2 December. Constellation and Xpansiv also plan to offer hourly EFECs on the platform in the future, the company said.

Xpansiv will further support the emission-free energy market through its North American Renewables Registry (NAR) which will issue nuclear-energy-based zero-emission certificates (ZECs) providing full-lifecycle traceability from issuance to retirement. The North American Renewables Registry is a leading renewable energy certificate registry with more than 89 GW of renewable energy capacity across the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Renewable energy certificates and emission-free energy certificates both offer ways for organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. The latter represent one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from an emission-free source, typically nuclear energy. According to information from Constellation - which has previously offered emission-free energy certificates to customers bilaterally - they allow businesses to quickly begin their process towards achieving and claiming lower emissions: purchasing emission-free energy certificates matching all or a portion of their electricity usage can be particularly attractive for organisations that are not well-positioned to source their power from onsite renewable sources.

Renewable energy certificates represent the environmental benefits of one megawatt-hour of electricity generated by a renewable power plant.

Constellation Chief Commercial Officer Jim McHugh said the company was focused on providing a "comprehensive suite of commercial products that help customers meet their environmental goals" as demand continues to grow. "We believe the most important energy commodity is a reliable and clean megawatt, and our clean energy resources offer more clean, emissions-free energy than any other energy provider in the US," he said.

"Additional carbon-free power sources are in critical need, and clean energy centres will play a key role in meeting the growing demand for years to come," Xpansiv CEO John Melby said. "Our pioneering launch of clean energy certificate solutions across our registry and exchange demonstrates the power of our comprehensive environmental commodity market infrastructure."