AEA partners with MiQ to launch an Ammonia Certification System

The AEA Ammonia Certification System is a voluntary system open to all entities in the ammonia value chain. It supports alignment across regions and sectors, allowing producers, traders, and consumers to demonstrate key environmental attributes – namely carbon footprint and origin – using independently verified data.

The system entered its pilot phase in October 2025, with the publication of documentation (available online here) and the launch of a global registry to manage the generation, transfer, and retirement of certificates. Early pilot participants are now preparing their initial audits, before the first certificates can be generated. The pilot remains open to additional participants.

The AEA Ammonia Registry, built and operated by MiQ, provides participants with a digital infrastructure that enables secure data transfer, transparency, and traceability across the ammonia supply chain at scale. Building on MiQ's market-proven global leadership in methane emissions certification, this collaboration reflects MiQ's broader mission to accelerate rapid reductions in methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, while supporting the AEA to help shape the future of ammonia as a clean energy solution. This collaboration marks the first time MiQ's independently verified data and certification registry model has been applied beyond natural gas.

Georges Tijbosch, MiQ CEO, said: "Today's announcement demonstrates the power of independent, third-party certification to deliver real emissions reductions across the supply chain. MiQ certification is market proven – and we are delighted to partner with the AEA to bring our trusted data and registry expertise to low-emission ammonia trade worldwide."

Vibeke Rasmussen, AEA President and SVP Product Management & Certification, Yara Clean Ammonia, commented: "In keeping with the AEA's vision that 'Clean ammonia energises the future,' how do you convince the end-users of clean ammonia that the molecules are truly clean? The AEA's certification system provides proof that the environmental attributes of the ammonia produced are transparent, reliable, and trusted. Certification is key to the growth of the clean ammonia market."

The pilot phase of the Ammonia Certification System encompasses:

• Pre-certification of facilities that have not yet been built. Pre-certification provides project developers with a credible evaluation of the environmental attributes of future production, to support offtake and financing discussions.
• Certification of ammonia produced at facilities that are already operational. This enables full disclosure to the consumer of the environmental attributes of ammonia and supports demonstration of compliance with regional or global requirements for emission reductions.
• A global ammonia registry to enable the secure transfer of certificates across the value chain, from generation, through trading, to retirement. The pilot supports three distinct chain of custody models – segregated, mass balance, and book & claim.

Nicholas Cook, AEA Technical Committee Chair and Product Stewardship Manager, CF Industries, added: "Ammonia customers need to be able to trust the claims of those producing and trading low-carbon product. AEA's Ammonia Certification System and MiQ's central registry provide quality data, with a fully formed chain of custody model, that allows for global certification."

Trevor Brown, AEA Executive Director, said: "To scale up and speed up the adoption of clean ammonia, market participants need high quality and credible data – rigorous accounting of actual carbon footprints – but we also need interoperability with different systems, to help align the requirements of voluntary and compliance markets across multiple sectors and countries. Our pilot participants will be demonstrating this in the year ahead, including participating plants in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, which will be using various pathways, including electrolysis, natural gas with CCS, and other technologies to supply certified ammonia to consumers in multiple sectors."

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/environment/28042026/aea-partners-with-miq-to-launch-an-ammonia-certification-system/