Carbon markets
Overview
Carbon markets are developing as a crucial economic lever in the challenge of reversing the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, while CO2 remains a key factor in a range of industrial sectors.
National governments are embracing carbon markets, with a proliferation of carbon pricing policies worldwide. The private sector is channelling finance into projects that generate carbon emissions reductions and removals to mitigate their hard-to-abate emissions.
And the United Nations is making progress in building a global marketplace for carbon emissions reductions that will facilitate nations’ attempts to meet their obligations under the Paris Agreement.
Industrial sectors remain a key source of CO2 emissions and consumption, with innovation looking towards sustainable methods of production and utilisation.
Argus is setting the stage for an extended period of growth, evolution and interconnection of carbon market participants and initiatives.
Latest carbon markets news
Browse the latest market moving news on carbon markets.
Fortescue starts building 133MW Australian wind farm
Fortescue starts building 133MW Australian wind farm
Sydney, 16 January (Argus) — Australian metal and energy producer Fortescue has started building its 133MW Nullagine wind farm in Western Australia to decarbonise its terrestrial iron ore operations by 2030. The 17-turbine wind farm is expected to be completed by mid to late-2027, a Fortescue spokesperson told Argus on 16 January. Fortescue's Nullagine project will help it achieve its 2030 target of zero terrestrial iron ore-related scope 1 and scope 2 CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions. The company generated 2.6mn t of CO2e scope 1 emissions over the July 2024–June 2025 financial year. It expects to surrender 240,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units or Safeguard Mechanism Credits to meet 2024-25 regulatory requirements under the Safeguard Mechanism — Australia's excess carbon pricing scheme. Fortescue will build 2-3GW of renewable generation and storage by 2030 to support its decarbonisation target, it said. The company plans to spend $900mn-1.2bn on decarbonisation investments in 2025-26, with a focus on fleet electrification and renewable energy projects. Fortescue installed a five-hour, 250MWh battery system in Western Australia in December 2025. It is also building a 190MW solar farm at its Cloudbreak mine , which is expected to slash diesel consumption by 125mn litres/yr. "Wind — alongside solar and batteries — provides the dependable, low-cost power we need to electrify our haul trucks, drills, processing plants and rail across the Pilbara," Fortescue Metal and Operation's chief executive office Dino Otranto said. By Avinash Govind Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US imported biofuel credit cut unlikely in 2026
US imported biofuel credit cut unlikely in 2026
New York, 15 January (Argus) — President Donald Trump's administration is unlikely to immediately slash blending credits for foreign biofuels and feedstocks brought into the US, but the idea remains under consideration, people familiar with the matter said. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last year floated a major revamp of the long-running biofuel program, including a plan to halve credits for blending biofuels produced abroad or made from foreign feedstocks. The Trump administration told a court last month it would finalize new biofuel quotas in the first quarter , kickstarting a last-minute lobbying campaign around whether EPA should proceed with the import-credit cuts. Two industry stakeholders closely tracking the debate told Argus that the administration's initial idea to slash credits for foreign fuels and feedstocks at the start of 2026 is likely dead. The US has previously been more cautious when finalizing retroactive biofuel mandates to avoid legal scrutiny, and it is not clear how regulators could belatedly track whether fuels already blended were made from foreign feedstocks. Any rule, even one announced in the coming weeks, would take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register . Oil refiners in particular have cast the plan as a threat to retail fuel prices and likely illegal, while US farm advocates worried about imports of renewable diesel feedstocks like used cooking oil have supported restrictions. Under the Renewable Fuel Standard program, EPA requires oil companies to annually blend different types of biofuels into the conventional fuel supply or buy credits from those that do. But there are still advocates within the administration for cutting program credits for imports, the industry stakeholders said. A third source who is directly familiar with the administration's thinking told Argus that the half-credit idea "remains in play". For instance, White House senior counselor for trade Peter Navarro — a longtime Trump adviser and vocal supporter of trade barriers — endorsed the half-credit proposal on Thursday in an unusual op-ed in The Hill website. "The rule closes loopholes that have allowed questionable imports to undercut American farmers and distort the market at scale," Navarro wrote. US secretary of agriculture Brooke Rollins shared the article on social media platform X, saying it was "spot on". Alternatively, biofuel supporters have told EPA that a record-high mandate for biomass-based diesel would support biorefineries that have struggled with policy uncertainty over the last year and guarantee strong demand for US feedstocks like soybean oil even without changes to the credit market. Some have advocated for a biomass-based diesel mandate for 2026 that amounts to between 5.2bn-5.6bn USG/yr of required blending. That is line with the Trump administration's proposal last year but would be a substantial jump from blend requirements of just 3.35bn USG/yr in 2025. Vintage-year 2026 Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits tied to biomass-based diesel blending under the program rose to 126.5¢/RIN on Thursday, according to Argus assessments, the highest level for current-year credits in more than two years. RIN prices were supported by higher soybean oil futures after Navarro's op-ed, as well as new EPA data that showed continued weak biomass-based diesel RIN generation in December. EPA said it is "reviewing comments" as it "continues to work on a final regulation" and noted the court filing in which the Trump administration said it aims to finalize program updates this quarter. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Other more technical decisions around program implementation could affect crop demand, biofuel production margins and fuel prices. EPA has proposed slightly cutting the amount of credits generated from blending a gallon of renewable diesel and potentially requiring larger oil companies to blend more biofuels to offset recent program exemptions granted to smaller competitors. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Laos-Singapore renewable power trade resumes
Laos-Singapore renewable power trade resumes
Singapore, 15 January (Argus) — Three southeast Asian national utilities have settled terms to send 100MW of renewable energy generated in Laos to Singapore, the firms announced on 14 January, resuming cross-border power trade that ended in 2024. Power from Laos will be transmitted through existing interconnections in Thailand and Malaysia before reaching Singapore, under a two-year agreement between Malaysia's Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Laos' Electricite Du Laos and Thailand's Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand signed on 14 January and effective as of the same day. A similar scheme titled LTMS-PIP existed in 2022-24, and about 280GWh of hydropower was transacted as of late 2023. The new scheme LTMS-PIP 2.0 had been under discussion but was not fully implemented until now. Total capacity traded under LTMS-PIP 2.0 will be up to 200MW, with 100MW of additional supply from Malaysia announced in 2024. Malaysia also has a separate scheme, Enegem, for selling renewable power to Singapore. The first 50MW deal was signed in 2024. A second auction round of undisclosed capacity opened late last year, and the results have not been announced. By Liang Lei Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
CBAM 'successfully' in force since start of year: EU
CBAM 'successfully' in force since start of year: EU
London, 14 January (Argus) — The EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) has "successfully" been in force since 1 January, with a combined 1.66mn t of CBAM goods imports declared in the first reporting window on 1-6 January, the European Commission said on 14 January. About 98pc of the volumes were from the iron and steel sectors, 1.2pc from fertilizers, 0.5pc from cement and 0.3pc from aluminium. There were no volumes reported from the power and hydrogen sectors. The top non-EU countries from where such goods were delivered were Turkey, China, India, Canada, Taiwan and Vietnam, the commission said. Belgium, Spain, Romania, the Netherlands, France and Germany were the top importing countries of CBAM goods within the EU on 1-6 January. The "seamless" integration of systems at national and EU level ensured real-time data exchange, efficient validation of declarants and uninterrupted import procedures at EU external borders, the commission said. "National authorities report stable processing times" for CBAM goods at customs, it added. More than 12,000 economic operators submitted an application for CBAM authorisation on 1-7 January and just under 10,500 import customs declarations with CBAM goods were validated automatically and in real time through integrated customs systems during the period, the commission said. It added that over 4,100 CBAM economic operators successfully obtained the authorised declarant status in the EU prior to and immediately after 1 January. The commission urged all economic operators subject to the CBAM to submit their CBAM authorisation application via the CBAM registry "now", stressing that early submission would ensure uninterrupted compliance, access to automated validation and full integration with customs clearance processes. By Erisa Senerdem Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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