Swedac has accredited Intertek Certification AB to verify emissions under the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), with the accreditation announced on 13 October. The approval covers verification work for electricity and carbon-intensive industrial imports as exporters prepare for the first verified CBAM reporting cycle. The accreditation is intended to broaden the range of potential verification providers for relevant supply chains.
Scope of Intertek’s CBAM accreditation
Intertek is listed by Sweden’s national accreditation body as the first accredited CBAM verification organisation in the country. The accreditation number is 1639, with validity through 13 October 2031. Its approved scope includes electricity and several major industrial sectors.
The scope includes activity group LI for electricity imported into the EU. It also covers activity groups I–VIII and LII, which encompass major CBAM industrial sectors and indirect emissions. The listed areas include iron and steel, steel products, ferro-alloys, unwrought aluminium, aluminium products, cement, clinker, fertilisers, ammonia and hydrogen.
Electricity verification implications for Southeast Europe
The inclusion of electricity is relevant for exporters in Serbia, Montenegro and the wider Southeast European region. Producers seeking access to EU markets may need verified emissions information to support importers’ CBAM requirements. The accreditation increases the number of potential providers available for electricity verification arrangements.
Accreditation alone does not mean a verifier can immediately undertake every assignment. Exporters and EU authorised CBAM declarants must check the provider’s status in the CBAM Registry and confirm that the accredited scope covers the relevant activity and product. They also need to establish compliance with independence requirements and agree the terms of engagement.
Eligibility conditions for actual-emissions claims
For electricity exporters, having an additional accredited verifier does not change conditions governing claims based on actual emissions. Such claims remain subject to applicable contractual and physical-delivery requirements. These include power purchase arrangements, cross-border scheduling, and matching generation with nominated electricity flows.
Renewable electricity producers in Serbia and Montenegro therefore still need evidence linking claimed electricity to a specific generating installation. This includes documentation covering the contractual chain, an accepted physical schedule, and the EU importer. The expanded provider pool does not relax rules governing eligibility for actual-emissions treatment.
Matching verification scope for steel and aluminium
Industrial exporters face requirements to align verification arrangements with their production activities. A verifier’s general CBAM accreditation does not automatically mean every product or installation is covered within its authorised scope. Steel and aluminium manufacturers must confirm that the legal entity engaged is accredited for the relevant production activity, product group, and indirect-emissions scope applicable to their goods.
The need to use an appropriate verification process can affect timelines for delivering verified data. Producers that have calculated embedded emissions but have not secured a suitably accredited verifier may experience delays in providing verified information to customers. Verification arrangements therefore need to correspond to specific scopes rather than relying on general accreditation coverage.
Verification capacity as demand approaches
The expansion of accredited verification services comes as the first full CBAM compliance cycle approaches. A broader pool of providers may allow exporters more options for arranging site visits, reviewing documentation, and completing verification tasks. This additional capacity could be relevant if demand becomes concentrated as EU customers strengthen supplier requirements.
Banks and industrial buyers may also incorporate verifier availability into assessments of CBAM readiness. For companies with substantial exposure to EU sales, delays in obtaining verified data could create working-capital pressure or affect meeting customer requirements on schedule. The accreditation does not change EU rules on electricity actual emissions, hourly matching, default factors, precursor accounting or embedded-emissions calculations.
For Southeast European exporters, securing an appropriate verifier and preparing required evidence are becoming part of procurement and production planning. These steps are described as necessary rather than tasks that can be deferred until after carbon calculations are complete.