Mt. Stonegate Senior Manager Rose Liao believes the final revision of the GHG Protocol Scope 2 guidance will likely adopt a compromise approach. (Photo: Mt. Stonegate)
The GHG Protocol is considering tighter rules for Scope 2 emissions accounting, prompting companies to reassess how they use renewable electricity and where the boundary between genuine decarbonization and greenwashing should be drawn. For renewable energy developers and service providers, the changes could also trigger a new phase of transformation and upgrading as companies prepare for increasingly diversified demand.
Recently, more than 60 large corporations, industry associations, and NGOs issued a joint statement urging the new guidance to adopt more flexible language, warning that a single high standard could become a barrier to renewable electricity adoption. In an interview with RECCESSARY, Rose Liao (廖佩瑄), senior manager for Taiwan at Mt. Stonegate Green Asset Management, discussed the potential impact of the proposed revisions and offered her outlook on how the rules may ultimately evolve.
Mt. Stonegate originally began as a carbon asset consultancy before expanding into renewable energy and electricity retail services, with a focus on the Asia Pacific market. The company’s director, Dr. Jules Chuang (莊昇勳), is also a member of the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Technical Working Group and has participated in discussions surrounding the latest draft revisions.
Unlock the full article to explore three key takeaways:
- If hourly matching requirements are adopted, companies would need to secure matching renewable electricity for roughly 8,760 hours a year, significantly increasing procurement difficulty and likely driving up operating costs.
- Experts believe a compromise outcome is more likely, with the final guidance potentially introducing specific applicability conditions or using softer wording such as “should” or “may” instead of mandatory language.
- Renewable energy companies could face short-term demand pressure, but the changes may also create new business opportunities, including upgrades to tracking systems.