Title: Australia's Clean Energy Regulator (CER)

Language: English

Type: Website

Nature: Government Website

Published: October 23, 2023


Region: East Asia and Pacific (EAP)

Country: Australia

Sector: Energy and Power

Keywords: Emission Reduction Program **

Document Link(s):


Document Summary:

This is the official website of Australia's Clean Energy Regulator (CER).


Document Details:

The ACCU Scheme offers landholders, communities and businesses the opportunity to run projects in Australia that avoid the release of greenhouse gas emissions or remove and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. It is enacted through the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 and the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015.

A number of activities are eligible under the scheme and participants can earn ACCUs. Each ACCU represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-e) emissions stored or avoided by a project. ACCUs can be sold to generate income, either to the Australian Government through a carbon abatement contract, or to companies and other private buyers in the secondary market.

To ensure these emissions reductions are not displaced significantly by a rise in emissions elsewhere in the economy, the ACCU Scheme is linked to the Safeguard Mechanism, which requires Australia's largest greenhouse gas emitters to keep their net emissions below an emissions limit (a baseline). The government will gradually reduce emissions limits under the Safeguard Mechanism to help Australia reach net zero emissions by 2050.

The Clean Energy Regulator is in the process of developing an Australian Carbon Exchange that will make the trading of ACCUs simpler, supporting rapidly increasing demand from the corporate sector. It will help foster growth in Australia’s vibrant carbon markets, where ACCUs credited from approved ACCU Scheme projects can be traded among individuals and businesses.


Updated: January 11, 2024