First warrant on carbon dioxide reduction for Federal Minister of the environment. 
Symbolic emissions certificate for Jürgen Trittin.

Stadtwerke Herne AG, Fraunhofer UMSICHT, and Emissions-Trader ET give the symbolic starting gun for emissions trading in Germany: At the international trade fair “E-world of energy and water 2003”, Leo Mating, from the management board of Stadtwerke Herne, hands over the first warrant for one ton of carbon dioxide reduction to the Federal Ministry of the environment. Ministerial official Franzjosef Schafhausen will receive the certificate no. 1, acting for Jürgen Trittin, Minister of the environment.

The owner of the warrant is authorized to obtain emission rights from Stadtwerke Herne to one ton of carbon dioxide between 2005 and 2012. The warrants are not traded at the stock market. Being limited to 500 pieces, the warrants are worth up to 3 Euro.

The reduction of CO₂ results from the planned mine gas project “HER-TEUTO” of Stadtwerke Herne. Next spring, on the grounds of the former Teutoburgia mine in Herne, there will be a boring, which will make use of the mine gas in a 2 MW thermal power station to produce electricity and heat. Without the project, the mine gas would escape from the approximately 3.000 m² conveying field without being used. With the help of the project, approximately 70.000 tons of CO₂ can be saved every year.

The emissions can be certified according to the Kyoto protocol and traded internationally. The Federal Ministry of the environment has confirmed the aptitude of mine gas projects to the Kyoto protocol. For this reason, the emissions that are expected to be reduced from the HER-TEUTO project can already be traded now.