For industrial power buyers in Serbia, claiming green electricity is no longer a matter of internal declarations or supplier assurances. By 2025–2026, verification has become an external, evidence-based process, increasingly aligned with EU audit standards, customer due diligence, and lender requirements. Specialized energy and sustainability consultants now play a central role in translating Guarantees of Origin and green procurement structures into verifiable, defensible compliance.
The starting point for any verification process is understanding that green compliance is not verified at the meter, nor through technical inspection of grid connections. Verification is documentary, procedural, and systemic. A consultant does not ask “where did the electrons come from”, but instead reconstructs whether the buyer’s claims are supported by exclusive, properly cancelled environmental attributes that match actual consumption.
The first step in a consultant-led verification is a consumption boundary definition. The consultant establishes exactly which facilities, meters, and legal entities are included in the green claim. This step is critical, because many compliance failures arise from unclear organisational boundaries. Electricity consumed by subcontracted operations, shared infrastructure, or auxiliary sites is often mistakenly included or excluded. A compliant green claim must map precisely to legally owned or controlled consumption points.
Once the boundary is defined, the consultant validates measured electricity consumption data. This involves reconciling supplier invoices, meter readings, and internal energy management systems to establish a single, auditable consumption figure for the reporting period. For large Serbian industrial buyers, annual consumption typically ranges from 100 GWh to well above 500 GWh, and even small inconsistencies can undermine credibility. Consultants focus on traceability rather than perfection, ensuring that every reported megawatt-hour can be traced back to a metered source.
The next and most visible layer is Guarantee of Origin verification. Here, the consultant examines the full lifecycle of each GoO used in the claim. This includes checking issuance records to confirm that the GoOs originate from eligible renewable sources under Serbian and European rules, verifying transfer records to ensure that ownership was legally and exclusively transferred to the buyer, and confirming cancellation in the buyer’s name for the correct reporting period.
Cancellation is where many green claims fail under audit. Consultants verify not just that cancellation occurred, but when and how. A GoO cancelled outside the accepted reporting window, or cancelled for a different legal entity, cannot support the claim. Increasingly, consultants also check whether the same GoO could have been pledged elsewhere, ensuring exclusivity and preventing double counting.
Beyond volume matching, consultants assess temporal alignment. While Serbian regulation allows annual matching, many multinational customers now expect a closer link between when electricity is consumed and when renewable attributes are generated. Consultants therefore analyse whether GoOs were produced in the same calendar year as consumption, or whether carry-over rules were applied transparently. Misalignment does not automatically invalidate a claim, but it must be disclosed and justified.
Another key verification dimension is technology and origin assessment. Consultants review the generation technology behind the GoOs, distinguishing between large legacy hydro, newer wind or solar assets, and biomass. While all may qualify as renewable, they carry different reputational and ESG implications. A consultant does not impose a value judgment, but ensures that claims accurately reflect reality. If a buyer reports “renewable electricity from hydropower”, the documentation must support that statement precisely.
At this stage, the consultant evaluates procurement structure risk. If electricity and GoOs are purchased unbundled, the consultant examines whether internal controls exist to prevent over-claiming. This includes checking that GoO purchases do not exceed consumption, that GoOs are allocated to the correct facilities, and that cancellations are documented and archived. Bundled contracts are also reviewed to ensure that the supplier actually transferred and cancelled GoOs rather than merely referencing green sourcing contractually.
A critical and often underestimated part of verification is consistency across disclosures. Consultants cross-check green electricity claims against sustainability reports, customer declarations, financial statements, and carbon inventories. Inconsistencies between Scope 2 reporting, ESG disclosures, and contractual documentation are a common red flag. A buyer may technically hold valid GoOs, but still fail an audit if disclosures are contradictory or incomplete.
Consultants also verify how green electricity is reflected in carbon accounting. Guarantees of Origin affect Scope 2 emissions under the market-based method, but do not change location-based emissions. A compliant report must present both correctly. Consultants ensure that Serbian grid emission factors are applied consistently and that the distinction between market-based and location-based reporting is clearly explained. Misrepresentation here is increasingly viewed as misleading rather than merely technical.
In more advanced engagements, consultants assess credibility beyond formal compliance. This includes reviewing whether green claims imply additionality that is not actually delivered. For example, claiming that GoO purchases “support new renewable capacity” requires a higher evidentiary threshold than simply claiming renewable consumption. Consultants help buyers reframe language to remain accurate and defensible, reducing reputational risk.
The outcome of the verification process is typically a formal assurance statement or compliance memo. This document does not certify that electricity was physically green, but that the buyer’s claims are consistent with applicable standards, supported by documentary evidence, and free from material misstatement. Such statements are increasingly requested by EU customers, lenders, and corporate auditors as part of supplier qualification.
For Serbian industrial buyers, the value of consultant-led verification is not limited to passing audits. It creates internal discipline. Processes become repeatable, documentation is centralised, and responsibilities are clarified. Green electricity procurement shifts from ad hoc purchasing to a governed compliance function, comparable in rigor to financial hedging or tax reporting.
By 2025–2026, the message is clear. Green electricity claims are no longer self-declared. They are examined, tested, and challenged. Independent consultants do not invent compliance; they verify whether it exists. For buyers who have implemented robust processes, verification becomes a confirmation. For those who have not, it becomes a corrective exercise. In a market where sustainability claims increasingly determine access to customers and capital, that distinction matters.
Elevated by clarion.energy