Australia’s ACCU supply rises by 15pc in 2025

: Emissions
26/01/20

Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) supply in 2025 rose by 15pc on the year, hitting a new record, despite issuances slowing down sharply in December from the previous three months.

Issuances totalled 1.29mn ACCUs in December, down from 2025's monthly high of 2.85mn units in November and from strong volumes in October and September, according to data from the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) released on 19 January.

Despite the slowdown, issuances in 2025 reached 21.64mn, up from the previous all-time high of 18.78mn in 2024. The final figure was at the mid-point of the CER's forecast 19mn-24mn range.

The December issuances were the lowest since August's 1.26mn units. Vegetation methods — mainly from human-induced regeneration (HIR) projects — accounted for 736,834 ACCUs in December, or 57.2pc of the total, up from 45.1pc in November. Waste methods, mostly from landfill gas projects, made up 369,587 units, down from 889,704 the month before (see chart).

Australia's largest landfill gas operator LMS Energy led issuances last month at 176,687 ACCUs. It was followed by Australian gas pipeline operator APA's Newman power station in Western Australia, which received 122,845 ACCUs for its energy efficiency project. Environmental market investor GreenCollar's subsidiary Terra Carbon and EDL Energy's subsidiary Landfill Gas and Power came next with 84,884 and 83,911 ACCUs, respectively.

Out of the total 2025 issuances, 11.8mn ACCUs came from vegetation projects, making up 54.6pc of the total. This was followed by ACCUs from waste methods at 6.22mn units, or 28.7pc of the total, and by ACCUs from savanna fire management methods at 1.59mn, or 7.3pc of the total.

By Juan Weik

ACCU issuance by method type mn

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26/01/20

Ausblick eFuels: Von Mandat zu Markt?

Hamburg, 20 January (Argus) — Ab 2026 müssen Inverkehrbringer in Deutschland erstmals eine RFNBO-Quote erfüllen, doch Marktteilnehmer rechnen aufgrund der geringen Produktverfügbarkeit damit, dass die meisten Unternehmen diese Quote nicht erfüllen werden. Langfristig könnten neue Projekte und regulatorische Impulse dennoch Bewegung in den eFuel-Markt bringen. Die Bundesregierung hat am 10. Dezember im Rahmen der RED III neben der Anpassung der THG-Quote auch die Einführung eines Mindestmandats für erneuerbare Kraftstoffe nicht-biogenen Ursprungs (RFNBO) beschlossen, welche durch das Inverkehrbringen von beispielsweise eFuels oder grünem Wasserstoff erfüllt werden kann. Dies bedeutet, dass verpflichtete Unternehmen wie Ölkonzerne und Kraftstoffimporteure einen gewissen Anteil der von ihnen in Verkehr gebrachten Energie durch RFNBOs erbringen müssen. Die zu erfüllende RFNBO-Menge entspricht hierbei zunächst 0,1 % des gesamten in Verkehr gebrachten Energiemixes der jeweiligen Inverkehrbringer und steigt bis 2040 schrittweise auf 8 % an. Gleichzeitig waren RFNBOs bereits vorher Erfüllungsoptionen der THG-Quote und werden wie auch Strom für Elektrofahrzeuge dreifach auf die Erfüllung der Quote angerechnet. Bei Nichterfüllung des RFNBO-Mindestmandats drohen verpflichteten Unternehmen Strafzahlungen in Höhe von 120 €/GJ. Für das Jahr 2026 antizipieren Inverkehrbringer allerdings eine flächendeckende Nichterfüllung dieser Unterquote. Dies ist vor allem auf die geringe Produktverfügbarkeit von RFNBOs in Deutschland zurückzuführen. So berichtet etwa ein verpflichtetes Unternehmen gegenüber Argus im vergangenen Jahr lediglich 3.000 Liter RFNBO in Verkehr gebracht zu haben. Aufgrund dieser geringen physischen Verfügbarkeit hatten sich bereits 2025 mehrere Unternehmen dafür ausgesprochen, den Start der Unterquote frühestens ab 2028 anzusetzen, um die Gefahr von Engpässen zu reduzieren und somit dafür zu sorgen, dass die Erfüllung der Quote überhaupt möglich ist. Langfristig erhoffen sich Inverkehrbringer von der Einführung einer solchen Unterquote, dass die daraus entstehende Nachfrage Investitionen in die Produktion von eFuels anstoßen könnte. Hoffnung für eFuel-Enthusiasten weckt zudem die geplante Anpassung des sogenannten EU-Verbrennerverbots. Neue Regelungen könnten es erlauben, auch nach 2035 weiterhin Fahrzeuge mit Verbrennungsmotor zuzulassen, sofern diese ausschließlich mit erneuerbaren Kraftstoffen betrieben werden. Dies würde das potenzielle Absatzvolumen für eFuels deutlich vergrößern und damit weitere Investitionsanreize schaffen. Aktuell sind jedoch nur wenige Projekte absehbar, die künftig relevante RFNBO-Mengen für den deutschen Straßenverkehr bereitstellen könnten. German eFuel One plant ab 2028 jährlich rund 75 Mio. l synthetisches E10-Benzin in Deutschland herzustellen. Darüber hinaus könnte etwa der französische Hersteller Lhyfe, der 2025 in Schwäbisch Gmünd eine Produktionsanlage für grünen Wasserstoff in Betrieb genommen hat, perspektivisch zusätzliche RFNBO-Mengen für den deutschen Markt bereitstellen. Als weiterer Anwendungsfall zeigt die Partnerschaft von Rheinmetall und Ineratec, dass eFuels auch im Verteidigungsbereich eine Rolle spielen können, etwa um die strategische Unabhängigkeit von internationalen Lieferketten zu verbessern. Eine zentrale Herausforderung für den breiten Markthochlauf bleiben jedoch die hohen Produktionskosten, die vor allem durch vergleichsweise hohe Strompreise in Europa getrieben werden. Aktuell wird synthetisches Benzin beispielsweise an mindestens einer deutschen Tankstelle bei Bremen mit einem Preisaufschlag von rund 60 Cent/l gegenüber konventionellem E10 angeboten. Mit zunehmender Skalierung der Produktion und dadurch wachsender Produktverfügbarkeit rechnen Inverkehrbringer jedoch damit, dass die Kosten pro produziertem Liter eFuel zurückgehen, und somit die Preisdifferenz zu herkömmlichem Benzin schrittweise abnimmt. Von Marcel Pott und Max Steinhau Senden Sie Kommentare und fordern Sie weitere Informationen an feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

EU parliament to vote 2040 GHG targets in February

26/01/20

EU parliament to vote 2040 GHG targets in February

Brussels, 20 January (Argus) — The European Parliament will vote on revisions to the European Climate Law (ECL), setting a binding intermediate climate goal of net 90pc greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions by 2040, compared with 1990 levels. This follows approval by the parliament's environment committee. A total of 50 members of the environment committee approved the 2040 targets on 19 January, with 26 voting against and one abstention. Parliament's largest centre-right group, the EPP, was split, with eight out of 11 members voting against the 2040 targets together with far-right and conservative groups. The parliamentary draftsman, Ondrej Knotek — a member of the far-right Patriots for Europe group — voted against the 2040 target. He had presented a legal report calling for the 90pc reduction goal to be deleted. But the large majority in committee indicates a smooth passage through plenary at a session in Strasbourg, expected on 9-12 February . The "[committee] vote shows that the four-group compromise is still holding", said Austrian member Lena Schilling, referring to approval by the EPP, Greens, center-left S&D and the Left groups. Following approval by a majority in parliament's plenary, the agreement will require adoption by a qualified majority of EU states and publication in the EU official journal to enter into force. Parliament and EU states provisionally reached the agreement on 9 December. The revised ECL will allow for use of "high-quality" international carbon credits from 2036 to meet the -90pc target. Such credits can constitute up to 5pc of 1990 EU net emissions ensuring an "ambitious and cost-efficient" domestic net GHG reduction of 85pc, compared to 1990 levels by 2040. The revised ECL also delays, by one year , the inclusion of road transport and heating fuels in the specific emissions trading system (ETS2) from 2027 to 2028. Parliament said the deal also allows for domestic permanent carbon removals to be used to compensate for hard-to-abate emissions in the ETS. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Origin extends Australia’s Eraring coal plant to 2029

26/01/20

Origin extends Australia’s Eraring coal plant to 2029

Sydney, 20 January (Argus) — Australian utility and upstream gas firm Origin Energy will continue running the 2,880MW Eraring coal-fired power station in New South Wales (NSW) state until 2029, out from 2027 previously, in the second such extension of the plant's lifetime. Origin's decision comes after the Australian Energy Market Operator's (Aemo) Transition Plan for System Security in December 2025 found that the generator would need to be kept on line beyond its 2027 retirement date due to insufficient replacement capacity. The plant was previously expected to close in 2025 but this was pushed back in 2024, due to insufficient replacement capacity. Keeping Eraring on line until April 2029 will allow for development of more renewables, storage and transmission projects, Origin said in its 20 January announcement. The firm also highlighted "uncertainty regarding the reliability of Australia's aging coal and gas fleet". Origin does not plan to invest in further major maintenance ahead of the plant's closure and will maintain its 2030 target of cutting 20mn t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions by 2030, based on 2018-19 levels. Eraring's scope 1 emissions were 13.5mn t CO2e in the year to 30 June 2025, Origin reported. The company also holds a 27.5pc share of emissions from the 9mn t/yr Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) joint venture in Queensland state where it is the upstream operator of the project. No more subsidies The NSW state government's offer to underwrite Eraring's operations for two years will end in 2027 as previously announced. Australia is attempting to transition its electricity markets to become majority renewables-based. Canberra is focusing on a goal of 82pc renewable grid penetration by 2030. But this timeline is unlikely to be realised due to a slow build out of new transmission to connect wind and solar to the grid, many analysts said, while the 2,200MW Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro project — designed to provide longer term storage capacity — has been delayed multiple times due to problems drilling new tunnels. Victoria state, Australia's second largest by population after NSW, is also expected to miss its 2030 renewable energy goal of 65pc generation . Queensland is meanwhile planning to continue to run its coal-fired plants into the 2040s after its state government dumped the previous administration's plans for a giant pumped hydro scheme. Meeting Australia's 2030 emissions reduction target of 43pc below 2005 levels is contingent on the retirement of major CO2 emitters such as Eraring , according to a 2025 government report. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

API, ethanol groups clinch deal on US biofuel bill

26/01/17

API, ethanol groups clinch deal on US biofuel bill

New York, 17 January (Argus) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) and ethanol groups have agreed on reforms to US biofuel policy that they would like to see, teeing up a last-minute lobbying campaign to get the provisions included in federal budget legislation this month. API and ethanol supporters that include the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy have aligned around limiting refineries' future exemptions from biofuel mandates and making some changes to a bipartisan bill that would permit a higher-ethanol gasoline blend, according to four people familiar with the deal and draft text shared with Argus . The groups' final framework — which they will pitch to lawmakers in the hopes of swiftly adding it to government spending bills this month — would authorize sales of up to 15pc ethanol gasoline (E15) year-round. Summertime sales of ethanol blends above 10pc are restricted in most of the US because of rules meant to minimize smog. If passed into law, the deal would be a major victory for ethanol producers who have long claimed wider access to the typically-cheaper blend would benefit farmers and drivers alike. Oil majors have grown more comfortable with E15 too, preferring consistent nationwide rules to costly workarounds like a looming shift in the midcontinent to a boutique fuel blend that would allow more ethanol. While the E15 fix would take effect immediately, the energy groups want to keep existing rules around biofuel quotas and exemptions in place through 2027. Under the current system, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires oil companies to blend minimum volumes of biofuels while allowing hardship exemptions for some small refineries that annually process no more than 75,000 b/d of crude. Starting in the 2028 compliance year, relief would be awarded only to companies that process 75,000 b/d or less across all their refineries and that also maintain that eligibility each year. These smaller facilities would win automatic 75pc exemptions from biofuel quotas starting in 2028 without having to apply each year, effectively ending discretion for regulators to choose which refineries deserve exemptions. Under the proposal, EPA starting in 2028 also would not require larger oil companies blend more biofuels to offset exemptions granted to their smaller rivals. This longer phase-in would address concerns from some energy lobbyists that more immediate changes could delay EPA's work to finalize new blend mandates. The agency wants to finalize new blend quotas for 2026 and 2027 in the coming weeks. Fuel fight The draft bill's text could change as lobbyists pitch the agreement to lawmakers and try to minimize backlash from oil refiners, people familiar with the matter said. But there is little time for more negotiations, with advocates of the deal pushing Congress to include it in legislation to fund government agencies after 30 January. Lawmakers have expressed similar urgency. There may be "news soon" on updates to the existing E15 bill draft, bill sponsor and US senator Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) said in an online interview with Brownfield Ag News this week. The current deal would be a substantial blow to refiners that have won exemptions for small units in the past but run too many larger facilities to qualify under the proposed rules, including independent refiners Delek and Par Pacific. Other merchant refiners worry that the biofuel lobby will use wider ethanol access as a pretext to push for higher blend mandates in future years, which they say risks refinery closures. The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers chief executive told Argus this week that his refinery members were divided over E15 talks. API had surprised its traditional oil refining allies last year by teaming up with ethanol interests on a larger biofuel policy package . Other biofuel producers have long wanted tighter restrictions on hardship waivers than the latest deal, another hiccup for negotiations. Particularly controversial among farm advocates is a holdover provision from the current E15 bill to grant some small refiners active credits they can use toward future mandates. API, the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy as well as chief Senate bill sponsors Fischer and Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) did not immediately reply to requests for comment. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

India's Essar plans SAF, HVO plant in 2028-29

26/01/16

India's Essar plans SAF, HVO plant in 2028-29

Singapore, 16 January (Argus) — India's Essar Future Energy, part of Indian conglomerate Essar Global Fund, plans to build a 800,000 t/yr hydrotreated biofuels plant in India, projected to start operations between the second half of 2028 and early 2029. The plant will be located in the Gujarat state's Devbhumi Dwarka district and is expected to reach a final investment decision (FID) in the next few months, its chief commercial officer Nikunj Nangalia told Argus . It aims to process 1mn t/yr of hydrotreated esters and fatty acids (HEFA) feedstocks to produce around 800,000 t/yr of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), Nangalia said. The facility will consume fats, oils and greases as feedstock, primarily used cooking oil (UCO) from both domestic sources and imports from main UCO markets abroad. But Essar is also considering other feedstocks like tallow, palm oil mill effluent (Pome) oil and non-edible oils, Nangalia said. The SAF and HVO produced will have both ISCC EU and Corsia certification. A large part of the product will be shipped to the UK for captive consumption in Essar's Stanlow refinery, where it will be blended with fossil jet and diesel and supplied to the market to meet UK renewables targets. The remaining volumes will be exported to other destinations and supplied in India when SAF mandates come in, Nangalia said. India aims to achieve 1pc of SAF usage in international flights by 2027 , to rise to 2pc by 2028 and 5pc by 2030. The facility will require a 51bn rupees (US$566mn) initial investment, and subsequent capital injections in phases to total an estimated $1bn in capital expenditure over the next few years. This includes other required infrastructure such as pipeline logistics to ports, water treatment facilities and more. Essar Future Energy's chief executive Vibhav Agarwal signed an initial agreement with the Gujarat government this week to get approval to build the facility. By Sarah Giam Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Australia’s ACCU supply rises by 15pc in 2025

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