The Clean Energy Council welcomes the introduction to Parliament of the Australian Government’s new landmark Guarantee of Origin Bill, which is designed to enable producers of green and low-emissions products in Australia to differentiate their products from fossil-fuel based goods.
Clean Energy Council Policy Director - Decarbonisation, Anna Freeman said that the Guarantee of Origin scheme would provide a way for green commodities, beginning with hydrogen, to demonstrate that they are different from more carbon intensive products.
“It is critical for building consumer and customer trust, safeguarding against greenwashing, and helping to unlock Australia’s trade opportunities,” Freeman said.
“Decarbonisation commitments are gathering pace globally, and there is increasing demand for green and low-emissions products. Businesses and consumers are hungry for greater transparency relating to the environmental impacts of the products they purchase, and this scheme will enable Australia to meet those information needs for growing markets.
“Australia has big opportunities to develop new net-zero emissions industries, leveraging our abundant renewable energy and minerals resources, and this scheme will help to unlock our expanding trade opportunities.”
The new scheme will also provide a new certification mechanism for renewable electricity from 2031, after the sunset of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme, which has supported the growth of the renewable energy sector in Australia since 2001.
The new Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) scheme introduces a new form of green electricity certification, which will operate in parallel to the large-scale generation certificates (LGCs) under the RET, before taking the baton when the RET scheme is ultimately closed at the end of 2030.
We are encouraged to see that the Government has been mindful of the transitional arrangements while both the RET and the REGO schemes operate concurrently, and we look forward to working in consultation on the finer implementation detail of the guarantee of origin framework in the coming months.Anna Freeman Clean Energy Council Policy Director - Decarbonisation
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Liam Straughan
Clean Energy Council Media Officer
+61 409 470 683