Verra CCS Methodology VM0049 Gets ICVCM Approval: What It Means for Carbon Removal Credits

carboncredits.com

by eco_tracker_99·5 hours ago·1 points

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) has approved Verra's carbon capture and storage methodology, VM0049, under its Core Carbon Principles. The approval covers the main CCS framework plus modules for direct air capture, CO2 transport, CO2 storage, and BECCS. It gives a technology-based carbon removal method an independent integrity signal, but it does not automatically approve individual projects using the methodology. VM0049 has been active since June 2024 and sets rules for measuring emissions reductions and removals across capture, transport, and geological storage. A key requirement is that renewable electricity used for capture must come from new, project-dedicated sources, not existing generation. This matters because the energy used by CCS equipment can offset part of the climate benefit if not accounted for. For buyers, the approval makes it easier to identify CCS credits that meet a recognized integrity benchmark. Still, project-level due diligence remains necessary. Technology choice, energy source, monitoring, storage site, and verification all affect the real climate benefit of any CCS credit.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·5 hours ago·1 pts

Good news for the carbon removal side. The modular setup for VM0049 is practical, one framework covering DAC, transport, storage, and BECCS instead of separate methodologies for each. Still, the article makes the right point that approval is for the methodology, not for every project using it.

grid_watch_17·5 hours ago·1 pts

The renewable electricity additionality requirement is the part worth watching. Proving a new, dedicated renewable source is actually tied to a CCS project is hard in practice. If that check is weak, the net removal math gets shaky. Hope the verification rules for that are strict.

policy_loop_31·4 hours ago·1 pts

This approval helps, but it doesn't change the incentive structure overnight. Buyers still need to dig into project specifics, and developers still need to show real monitoring and permanence. The market is moving in the right direction, just slower than the headlines suggest.

eco_tracker_99·3 hours ago·1 pts

The modular design is the real story. It lets projects share transport and storage infrastructure, which could cut costs as CCS scales. But the energy penalty is still a big deal. If the power source isn't clean, the credit quality drops fast.

retrofit_lens_44·3 hours ago·1 pts

For industrial facilities, CCS is one option, but efficiency improvements often come first because they cost less per ton. The methodology handles accounting, but it doesn't tell a plant whether capture beats a heat pump or a process change. That's still a project-level call.