Relae (formerly known as Carbon Direct), in partnership with Microsoft, has published the sixth edition of the Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), adding a framework for delivery risk for the first time. 

The publication provides updated quality benchmarks designed to help developers, investors, and buyers build and procure high-quality CDR. 

Relae and Microsoft have been releasing criteria for high-quality removals since 2021, refreshing each new edition to reflect the latest science, voluntary carbon market changes, and lessons on diligence from hundreds of real-world projects. 

The 2026 Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal establishes both a quality floor and an aspirational standard to serve as guidance for developers and inform due diligence by buyers and technical experts.

For the first time, the criteria also come with a framework for delivery risk assessment, evaluating the likelihood of a project generating credits at the quantity and on the timeline agreed to with buyers. 

To evaluate the delivery risk, the publication uses the TECOP framework, which considers a range of aspects, including technical, economic, commercial, organizational, and political factors. 

The technical segment assesses the feasibility of the project design, implementation, and long-term management, while the economic one looks into the project’s financing structure, financial modeling assumptions, and expenditure profile.

From a commercial perspective, the framework examines the extent to which a project’s purchase agreements, supply arrangements, and key contractual relationships are secured or well-advanced, and in terms of organizational design, it checks the developer’s capacity and capability to plan, execute, and manage a project of the appropriate size and complexity.

Source link