UN Green Climate Fund approves $490mn in project funds

Market: Emissions
08/03/24

The UN's Green Climate Fund (GCF) board has approved 11 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and climate adaptation projects, totalling $490mn in GCF funding.

The total worth of the projects is estimated at $1.26bn, including co-financing through international organisations and the private sector, according to South Korea's finance ministry on 7 March.

One of the 11 projects involves establishing a specialised climate finance unit in Cambodia's state-owned Agricultural and Rural Development Bank, which will execute a $100mn green loan, with $50mn from the GCF. This project is expected to cut GHG by over 1mn t. The Korea Development Bank (KDB) will lead this project, making it one of its two GCF-funded projects.

This is the second of KDB's GCF-funded projects. The GCF approved the other project worth $247.7mn in October 2022, which involves capping emissions by increasing Indonesia's industrial energy efficiency.

The other projects that have been approved by the GCF include a climate action fund for Pakistan, and a solar power supply expansion programme in Ghana.

The GCF is currently providing support for climate change adaptation in 23 developing countries, with a total of 254 approved projects and cumulative assistance at $14bn. It finances projects such as climate-friendly agricultural methods, reforestation or coastal protection. Contributions to the fund are voluntary.

South Korea in September 2023 pledged $300mn to the second replenishment of the GCF. South Korea is also the fund's host country, with the GCF headquarters based in Incheon city.

The country also recently raised the funds allocated to domestic companies to develop overseas emissions reduction projects.

Its upcoming elections on 10 April have also sparked uncertainty about the future of its energy transition as the winning party would determine its renewable energy ambitions.

By Tng Yong Li

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12/12/25

Japan’s energy demand falls on economic slowdown

Osaka, 12 December (Argus) — Japan's energy consumption in the April 2024-March 2025 fiscal year fell again from a year earlier, pressured by slower industry activity. The country's 2024-25 final energy use totalled 292mn kiloliters, or 1.84bn bl of oil equivalent (boe), down by 1.7pc from a year earlier, according to preliminary data released on 12 December by the trade and industry ministry Meti. This marks the third consecutive annual decline. Coal use in final energy consumption fell by 3.7pc from a year earlier to 172mn boe in 2024-25, while oil demand declined by 3.7pc to 841mn boe. This came as energy consumption in the manufacturing and transportation sectors declined by 3.2pc to 766mn boe, and by 1.5pc to 445mn boe respectively. But demand for natural gas and city gas rose by 1.5pc from a year earlier to 167mn boe. Power demand also edged up by 1pc to 517mn boe. Coal-fired power generation edged up by 0.9pc to 283.4TWh during the period, while oil- and gas-fired power dropped by 2.7pc to 71TWh and by 2.4pc to 315.7TWh. Zero-emission power supplies, including renewables and nuclear power, rose by 3.9pc to 322.1TWh. Japan's energy-derived CO2 emissions fell by 1.4pc from a year earlier to 908mn t in 2024-25, supported by the increased use of renewable and nuclear power supplies. The 2024-25 emissions represented a 26pc fall compared with the country's 2013-14 baseline, or the lowest level since 1990-91. The lower energy consumption, as well as increased use of domestic renewable and nuclear energy, helped lift Japan's energy self-sufficiency rate to 16.4pc in 2024-25, up by 1.1 percentage points from a year earlier, based on International Energy Agency methodology. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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German cabinet passes EU RED III

10/12/25

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10/12/25

German cabinet passes EU RED III

Hamburg, 10 December (Argus) — The German cabinet on 10 December approved legislation to implement the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) into national law. This will adjust the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction quota and abolish double counting of advanced fuels from 2026. But it is unlikely to pass remaining legislative processes in time for the EU's 1 January deadline. The bill passed by the cabinet largely follows a draft dated 29 October that was leaked in November. The overall quota level will rise to 59pc by 2040. Aviation and marine fuels are exempt from the quota obligation. The law will end the eligibility of palm oil products, most notably palm oil mill effluent (Pome), for compliance towards the GHG quota. This exclusion, and a requirement for fuel producers to allow on-site audits, will not come into effect until 2027, leaving 2026 as a transitional year. The end of double counting for advanced biofuels removes a key point of market uncertainty. Under current rules, advanced biofuels can be counted as twice their energy value towards the GHG quota, provided the minimum sub-mandate for advanced fuels has been met. But the change to end double counting will apply to the entire compliance year and all subsequent years, meaning it will be retroactive to 1 January. The only exception is for fuels supplied prior to 1 January 2026. The law will enter into force on the second day after publication in the Federal Law Gazette, with selected sections taking effect a day earlier for procedural reasons. Before that can happen, the bill must be submitted to the Germany's lower and upper parliaments for debate. The lower house's approval is not required, and the upper house could initiate changes. The bill can only be submitted to the Federal President for his signature once the upper house has given approval. This process is likely to conclude in the first quarter of 2026. Changes to sub-quotas, RFNBOs, biomethane The sub-mandate for advanced biofuels, made from feedstocks listed in Annex IX of RED III, will rise to 9pc by 2040. The mandate for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs) — such as e-fuels and green hydrogen — is higher will rise to 2.5pc of an obligated company's energy mix in 2034, and then to 8pc in 2040. The penalty for non-compliance is €120/GJ. Imported biomethane can be counted towards the GHG quota, provided it meets certain conditions, such as a connection to the EU gas grid. The baseline emissions value is 94kg CO2e/GJ, aligned with the rest of the EU. The registration deadline with the main customs office is 1 June. The market for GHG certificates reacted immediately. Other certificates for 2025 are trading around €20/t CO2e higher than the previous day, and prices for 2026 certificates are rising. Prices for 2025 certificates are rising, although they are unaffected by the change. They are seen as a substitute for 2027 certificates because excess 2025 compliance will be carried over. Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) could now play a central role in meeting the GHG quota, which can influence certificate prices. Demand for advanced HVO could increase significantly, as it can be counted without limit towards the GHG quota as a blending component and as a pure fuel and can be used in most of the existing diesel vehicle fleet. The end of double counting could increase demand for non-advanced biodiesel grades, such as rapeseed-based RME and used cooking oil-based Ucome. Although the eligibility of these is capped to a certain percentage of a company's energy mix, this limit has not always been fully utilised in the past. by Max Steinhau and Chloe Jardine Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Court asks US for update on biofuel quota timing

08/12/25

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08/12/25

Court asks US for update on biofuel quota timing

New York, 8 December (Argus) — A US court told President Donald Trump's administration today to provide an update within a week on its plans for finalizing long-delayed biofuel blend mandates. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must file an update "briefly detailing the agency's progress toward finalizing and promulgating the 2026 renewable fuel standards" within seven days, a three-judge panel on the US District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Monday. The court added that the government should provide "an estimated time frame for issuing those standards" if possible. Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, EPA requires oil refiners and importers to annually blend different types of biofuels or buy credits from those that do. The Trump administration — after proposing major changes to how the program treats biofuel imports and exempts some small refiners — is now months behind schedule on finalizing new quotas. Agency decisions around the program are highly influential for biofuel production margins, crop demand and ultimately retail fuel prices. The Trump administration told a separate DC court in September that it expected to finalize new biofuel quotas "this winter 2025-2026", but that was before a partial government shutdown sidelined many federal workers. EPA was supposed to provide another update in November, but that court gave the government more time to respond in civil cases because of the funding lapse. The DC Circuit case involves a Delek refinery and an HF Sinclair refinery that argue they were unfairly deemed ineligible for exemptions from 2024 blend mandates because they processed too much crude the year before. They pushed for a quicker case, noting that the credits EPA could compensate them with will soon be worthless. EPA's current policy is to return credits to refiners that complied with past mandates but are given retroactive exemptions, but these credits can only be used the year they were generated or the subsequent compliance year. The Monday order notes that the DC Circuit is curious about EPA's progress since the timing of new biofuel mandates will impact the date when credits from 2024 expire. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Australia’s Carbon2Nature launches ACCU project

05/12/25

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05/12/25

Australia’s Carbon2Nature launches ACCU project

Mumbai, 5 December (Argus) — Carbon2Nature Australia, a subsidiary of Spanish utility Iberdrola's nature-based solutions company, has launched the Talia project to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) under the Environmental Plantings (EP) method. The project will be developed as a joint effort between Carbon2Nature and Land Life, an Amsterdam-based social enterprise. The first ACCUs are expected to be issued in 2027, Iberdrola Australia told Argus on 4 December. The project is estimated to generate approximately 114,000 ACCUs over its 25-year crediting period in South Australia. EP ACCUs trade sporadically and in limited volumes, but recent transactions have achieved prices in the mid-A$50s/t CO2e — well above the range for generic ACCUs. Argus assessed generic ACCU prices at A$35.70/t CO2e on 5 December. Carbon2Nature is targeting projects capable of providing high-integrity ACCUs such as EP, the firm said. Voluntary demand for these ACCUs is growing, and the value of such projects appear to be long term, it added. By Shribalaji Shenbagaraj Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Arab region warming at twice the global average: WMO

04/12/25

News

04/12/25

Arab region warming at twice the global average: WMO

London, 4 December (Argus) — The Arab region is warming at twice the global average, with temperatures increasing by 0.43°C per decade from 1991 to 2024, a report from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) found today. The world experienced the hottest year on record in 2024. The average temperature across the Arab region in 2024 was 1.08°C higher than the 1991-2020 average, the WMO said. The Arab region saw "intense heatwaves and droughts as well as extreme rainfall and storms", the WMO added. The WMO's report, the inaugural State of the Climate in the Arab Region , covers 22 countries across north and east Africa and the Middle East and was compiled with the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and the League of Arab States. The Middle East and north Africa "are among the hottest regions in the world, and climate projections indicate a continued intensification of summer heat extremes in both subregions", the WMO said. The report also included regional climate projections from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "If the current warming rate continues, mean temperature increase in the Arab region could reach 1.8°C with respect to the 1991-2020 average by 2050", the report found. A handful of climate plans — known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) — submitted recently by Arab region countries underline the challenges that climate change poses for the region. NDCs submitted over the past few weeks by Bahrain, Qatar and Yemen all note the countries' vulnerability to climate change, including water scarcity. Of the 20 most water-scarce countries globally, 15 are in the Arab region, and climate change is compounding this, the WMO said. Qatar and Bahrain flagged in NDCs their water sectors as a source of emissions , including through power-intensive desalination processes. Bahrain this week noted its "water vulnerability as a challenge that is further intensified by climate change impacts", in its third NDC. By Georgia Gratton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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UN Green Climate Fund approves $490mn in project funds

Related news posts

Japan’s energy demand falls on economic slowdown

Japan’s energy demand falls on economic slowdown

German cabinet passes EU RED III

German cabinet passes EU RED III

Court asks US for update on biofuel quota timing

Court asks US for update on biofuel quota timing

Australia’s Carbon2Nature launches ACCU project

Australia’s Carbon2Nature launches ACCU project

Arab region warming at twice the global average: WMO

Arab region warming at twice the global average: WMO

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