Australia on track for 2030 GHG emissions target

: Electricity, Emissions
24/11/27

Australia is on track to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 42.6pc by 2030 from 2005 levels, nearly within the country's 43pc target, climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen announced today.

The forecast is based on the baseline scenario from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)'s emissions projections 2024 report, which will be released on 28 November, according to Bowen. It compares to a 37pc reduction estimated in the 2023 report under the baseline scenario and is slightly above the previous report's 42pc projection under a scenario "with additional measures", as those policies have now been incorporated into the baseline assumptions.

The inaugural emissions projections report, published at the end of 2022, showed forecast reductions of 32pc in the baseline scenario and 40pc in the additional measures scenario.

The main policies incorporated are the expanded Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) and the fuel efficiency standards for new passenger and light commercial vehicles, Bowen said.

Under the CIS, Australia will support 32GW of new capacity consisting of 23GW of renewable capacity such as solar, wind and hydro, as well as 9GW of dispatchable capacity such as pumped hydro and grid-scale batteries. Tenders will run every six months until 2026-27 and winners will need to start operating their assets by 2030, in time to help the Labor government meet its target of sourcing 82pc of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Bowen last month announced tender volumes would be accelerated on the back of strong interest in the initial 6GW tender in May.

NEM review

The government separately announced the start of a review of the National Electricity Market (NEM) wholesale market settings, which will need to be changed following the conclusion of the CIS tenders in 2027 and as Australia transitions to more renewables from its aging coal-fired plants.

The tenders will give up to 15 years of support, but new settings will be needed to promote investment in firmed renewable generation and storage capacity into the 2030s and beyond, especially as the Renewable Energy Target scheme will come to an end on 31 December 2030. An expert independent panel will carry out widespread consultation and make final recommendations to energy and climate ministers in late 2025.

The panel will need to consider the importance of decarbonising Australia's electricity system to achieve the 43pc emissions reduction target by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050, according to the government. But the panel "will not consider" options that involve implementation of carbon trading schemes or carbon markets, or that entail governments supporting new fossil fuel generation, it added.

The federal government will need to co-ordinate and introduce a "clear and enduring" carbon signal in the energy sector to adapt the 25-year-old NEM to a "post-coal era", domestic think-tank Grattan Institute said earlier this year.

By Juan Weik

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24/11/25

Uruguay's left-wing candidate wins presidency

Montevideo, 25 November (Argus) — The left-wing opposition Frente Amplio will return to power in Uruguay after winning a hard-fought run-off election on 24 November. Yamandu Orsi, former mayor of the Canalones department, was elected president with close to 51pc of valid votes. He defeated Alvaro Delgado, of the ruling Partido Nacional. The Frente will control the senate, but will have a minority in the lower chamber. It last governed from 2015-2020. Orsi will take office on 1 March in one of Latin America's most stable economies, with the World Bank forecasting growth at 3.2pc for this year, much higher than the 1.9pc regional average. He will also inherit a country that has been making strides to implement a second energy transition geared toward continued decarbonization and new technologies, such as SAF and low-carbon hydrogen. He will also have to decide on future oil and natural gas exploration. Uruguay does not produce oil or gas, but has hopes that its offshore mimics that of Nambia, because of similar geology. TotalEnergies has made a major find there. The Frente's government plan states that it "will deepen the energy transition, focusing on the use of renewable energy, and decarbonization of the economy and transportation … gradually regulating so that public and cargo transportation can operate with hydrogen." On to hydrogen Uruguay is already the regional leader with renewable energy, with renewables covering 100pc of power demand on 24 November, according to the state-run power company, UTE. Wind accounted for 49pc, hydro 35pc, biomass 10pc and solar 6pc. Orsi will need to make decisions regarding high-profile projects for low-carbon hydrogen, as well as a push by the state-run Ancap to get private companies to ramp up oil and gas exploration on seven offshore blocks. The industry, energy and mining ministry lists four planned low-carbon hydrogen projects, including one between Chile's HIF and Ancap subsidiary Alur that would have a 1GW electrolyzer. Germany's Enertrag is working on an e-methanol project with a 150MW electrolyzer, while two Uruguayan groups are working on small projects with 2MW and 5MW electrolyzers, respectively. The Orsi government will also need to decide if it continues with Ancap's planned bidding process for four offshore blocks, each between 600-800km² (232-309 mi²), to generate up to 3.2GW of wind power to produce 200,000 t/yr of green hydrogen on floating platforms. The Frente has been noncommittal about the future of seven offshore oil and gas blocks, including three held by Shell, two by the UK's Challenger — which recently farmed in Chevron — and one each by Argentina's state-owned YPF and US-based APA Corporation. The Frente's government plan states that "a national dialogue will be called to analyze the impacts and alternatives to exploration and extraction of fossil fuels." By Lucien Chauvin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: Talks leave ‘mountain of work’ for Brazil in 2025

24/11/24

Cop: Talks leave ‘mountain of work’ for Brazil in 2025

Baku, 24 November (Argus) — The UN Cop 30 climate talks in Brazil next year may take on a new level of importance after countries at the now-completed Cop 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, left some significant issues on the table, most notably now to keep the world on track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Negotiators in Baku completed their work just after 05:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Sunday — nearly a day and a half after the scheduled end of the Cop — with a deal on climate finance that has left developing countries furious. The Indian negotiator called the finance agreement, which the country opposed after it was gavelled, "nothing more than an optical illusion". She complained that the text was adopted even though they had informed the secretariat they wanted to make a statement before its adoption. Nigeria and Bolivia came out in support to India to say were rejecting the deal, with the latter calling the agreement "an insult". Known as the new collective quantified goal (NCQG), the deal sets a target of "at least" $300bn/yr for developing countries by 2035, with developed countries "taking the lead". The goal is meant to build on the $100bn/yr that developed countries agreed to deliver to developing countries over 2020-25. The finance will come from "a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources". This is more than the $250bn/yr first proposed by developed countries. But this is well below the $1.3 trillion, including $440bn-600bn/yr in public finance mostly in grants and concessional finance, sought by developing economies. The delegations salvaged what for a time appeared to be talks headed for collapse, with two groups temporarily walking out of the negotiations. But developing countries indicated that the Baku deals falls far short of what they need to deal with climate change and support their energy transition. "They were never going to be enough," special envoy for climate change and environment for Vanuatu Ralph Regenvanu said. "And even then, based on our experience with such pledges in the past, we know they will not be fulfilled," he said. India's negotiator pointed to the "unwillingness from developed countries to fulfill their responsibilities". This will severely impact growth in developing nations, she added. EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, the only developed party to take the floor just after the finance deal was agreed, said that increasing the goal three-fold, from $100bn/yr, "is ambitious, needed, realistic and achievable". He said that with the help of the multilateral development banks (MDBs), the bloc is confident $1.3 trillion/yr of climate finance for developing economies could be reached. Baku to Belem The finance deal agreed in Baku calls on all actors "to enable the scaling up of financing" from all public and private sources to at least $1.3 trillion per year by 2035. A "Baku to Belem Roadmap to $1.3 trillion", was launched to that effect. The only other major decision to come out of Baku was the adoption of the rules that will operationalise the international carbon market under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Progress on the implementation of the first global stocktake — the main outcome document from Cop 28, which included the historic call to transition away from fossil fuels — was left for next year. The talks failed to overcome a broad north-south divide and were hampered by the finance talks and efforts by some delegations to undo past decisions. Developed countries called for stronger global action on emissions reductions, but developing nations responded that they cannot implement an energy transition without adequate finance. Many Latin American and African nations, as well as island states, also complained during the talks about the lack of mitigation ambition. But countries including Saudi Arabia opposed including language on fossil fuels, or any mention that countries should undertake deep emissions cuts. India even pushed back on the 1.5°C temperature limit of the Paris Agreement, which was reinforced in Dubai last year. The rejected draft text for the stocktake reaffirms "the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with 1.5 °C pathways". It refers to the energy package without going into details, and keeps the door open to "transitional fuels". Parties will revisit mitigation next year in Belem, leaving Baku "with a mountain of work to do," according to UN climate body UNFCCC executive secretary Simon Stiell. Mitigation was always going to be the focus of Cop 30, particularly with countries due to submit their new emissions-reduction pledges, or nationally determined contributions (NDCs), to the UNFCCC by February. But the struggle in Baku could bring new pressure to the Brazilian government. The country's environment minister Maria Silva on Saturday warned that failure in Baku would likely damage the UN process, especially with the US, one of the world's leading emitters, expected to exit the Paris Agreement again after former president Donald Trump takes office in January. By Michael Ball and Caroline Varin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: Carbon market rules adopted as finance talks stall

24/11/23

Cop: Carbon market rules adopted as finance talks stall

Baku, 23 November (Argus) — Countries at the UN Cop 29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, on late Saturday adopted the rules for international carbon trading under the Paris Agreement, a rare bright spot in contentious negotiations that have dragged on well past their scheduled end. After adopting rules for Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement during a late evening plenary, ministers and negotiators applauded in recognition of their efforts. The decisions come a year after the carbon market rules were supposed to have been adopted at Cop 28 in Dubai, nine years after Cop 29 in Paris, and about 24 hours after the Baku talks were scheduled to end. "We have ended a decade-long wait and unlocked a critical tool for keeping 1.5 degrees in reach," Cop 29 president Mukhtar Babayev said. "Climate change is a transnational challenge and Article 6 will enable transnational solutions. Because the atmosphere does not care where emissions savings are made." Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 govern how countries can use carbon credits to meet their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions-reduction pledges, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Article 6 aims to help set rules on global carbon trade. Article 6 discussions helped get Cop 29 off to a positive start, with the adoption of key standards for the creation of carbon credits under the Paris accord. But after that, negotiators still had to resolve a number of issues, most notably the design of an international registry to keep track of the credits. The talks ultimately settled on a "dual layer" approach, agreed to create a registry to issue and trade credits that would be run by the UN and would be separate from the Article 6 registry, which would only serve an accounting function. The text also says that the inclusion of any emissions credits — known as internationally transferable mitigation outcome (Itmo) units — in the UN registry does not represent any sort of validation of their environmental integrity, in response to concerns raised by the US and others. Further refinements were made to the decision text over the last three days before the Saturday night decision, including the details on what countries need to include in electronic reporting of the credits. Carbon market supporters have generally backed the Baku texts, although some do not agree with all of the details. But they say the text does not harm or constrain international carbon trading, meeting their main objective for Baku. Saturday standoff But Cop 29 has reached a stalemate in negotiations on a new climate finance goal, as developed and developing countries struggle to bridge a huge divide on how much the latter should receive from the former. The lack of progress has raised the possibility the talks could collapse and end without any agreement at all. "This is the final stretch you have all been working very hard and I know that none of us want to leave Baku without a good outcome," Babayev said. "However, time is not on our side." The cop presidency suspended the plenary after the Article 6 decisions to give countries more time to try to reach an agreement, saying it would resume "later tonight." Earlier in the evening, delegates from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group staged a temporary walkout to protest what they say has been a process that lacks inclusion. "The process is not including us as much as it should be, and when it does, and we provide input, our inputs are being ignored," said Evans Njewa, a Malawai environment official who chairs the LDC Group. The most recent negotiating text , released on Friday, angered developing country officials by proposing that developed economies provide $250bn/yr in climate finance by 2035, from a broad range of sources, not just public funds. Developing economies earlier this week floated numbers of $440bn-$600mn/yr for a public finance layer. They also called for $1.3 trillion/yr in total climate finance from developed countries, a sum which the latest draft instead calls for "all actors" to work toward. As a potential compromise, some countries, including Brazil and Somalia, have suggested at least $300bn/yr and up to $350bn/yr or $390bn/yr. Further eroding trust among delegates were reports that an official from Saudi Arabia had been allowed to make changes to negotiating text. "At Cop 29, we are witnessing a geopolitical power play by some fossil fuel states at the expense of the poorest. As the EU, we strongly oppose abandoning the path set in Dubai," German foreign affairs minister Annalena Baerbock said. By Michael Ball Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop 29 goes into overtime on finance deadlock

24/11/22

Cop 29 goes into overtime on finance deadlock

Developing countries' discontent over the climate finance offer is meeting a muted response, writes Caroline Varin Baku, 22 November (Argus) — As the UN Cop 29 climate conference went into overtime, early reactions of consternation towards a new climate finance draft quickly gave way to studious silence, and some new numbers floated by developing nations. Parties are negotiating a new collective quantified goal — or climate finance target — building on the $100bn/yr that developed countries agreed to deliver to developing countries over 2020-25. The updated draft of the new finance goal text — the centrepiece of this Cop — proposes a figure of $250bn/yr by 2035, "from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources". This is the developed country parties' submission, the Cop 29 presidency acknowledged. Developing nations have been waiting for this number for months, and calling on developed economies to come up with one throughout this summit. They rejected the offer instantly. "The [$250bn/yr] offered by developed countries is a spit in the face of vulnerable nations like mine," Panama's lead climate negotiator, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, said. Negotiating group the Alliance of Small Island States called it "a cap that will severely stagnate climate action efforts". The African Group of Negotiators and Colombia called it "unacceptable". This is far off the mark for developing economies, which earlier this week floated numbers of $440bn-600bn/yr for a public finance layer. They also called for $1.3 trillion/yr in total climate finance from developed countries, a sum which the new text instead calls for "all actors" to work toward. China reiterated on 21 November that "the voluntary support" of the global south was not to be counted towards the goal. A UN-mandated expert group indicated that the figure put forward by developed countries "is too low" and not consistent with the Paris Agreement goals. The new finance goal for developing countries, based on components that it covers, should commit developed countries to provide at least $300bn/yr by 2030 and $390bn/yr by 2035, it said. Brazil indicated that it is now pushing for these targets. The final amount for the new finance goal could potentially be around $300bn-350bn/yr, a Somalian delegate told Argus . A goal of $300bn/yr by 2035 is achievable with projected finance, further reforms and shareholder support at multilateral development banks (MDBs), and some growth in bilateral funding, climate think-tank WRI's finance programme director, Melanie Robinson, said. "Going beyond [$300bn/yr] would even be possible if a high proportion of developing countries' share of MDB finance is included," she added. All eyes turn to the EU Unsurprisingly, developed nations offered more muted responses. "It has been a significant lift over the past decade to meet the prior goal [of $100bn/yr]," a senior US official said, and the new goal will require even more ambition and "extraordinary reach". The US has just achieved its target to provide $11bn/yr in climate finance under the Paris climate agreement by 2024. But US climate funding is likely to dry up once president-elect Donald Trump, a climate sceptic who withdrew the US from the Paris accord during his first term, takes office. Norway simply told Argus that the delegation was "happier" with the text. The EU has stayed silent, with all eyes on the bloc as the US' influence wanes. The EU contributed €28.6bn ($29.8bn) in climate finance from public budgets in 2023. Developed nations expressed frustration towards the lack of progress on mitigation — actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Mentions of fossil fuels have been removed from new draft texts, including "transitioning away" from fossil fuels. This could still represent a potential red line for them. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Opinion: Bridging the divide

24/11/22

Opinion: Bridging the divide

Cop summits put the gap between developed and developing countries in stark relief and demand a strong moderator Baku, 22 November (Argus) — The UN's Cop climate summits always involve a high-stakes test of multilateralism. But the Cop 29 gathering that is crawling towards its conclusion in Baku this week has pushed this concept to its limit. The summit faced serious challenges even before it kicked off. Azerbaijan took on the presidency relatively late in the day and the country's president, Ilham Aliyev, irritated some delegates with an opening speech that lauded oil and gas as a "gift from God" and railed against "western fake news". His comments on European nations' Pacific island territories prompted France's energy minister to boycott the talks, while the Cop chief executive was caught on film trying to facilitate fossil fuel deals. And the broader geopolitical background for the gathering was, of course, "grim", as EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra noted, even before delegates tackled the summit's key discussion topic — money. At the heart of this year's Cop is the need to agree a new climate finance goal — a hugely divisive subject at the best of times. Discussions start with countries' wealth, take into account historical responsibility for emissions, and often end up with accusations of neocolonialism and calls for reparations. Figuring out who pays for what is crucial to advancing any kind of meaningful energy transition — and is hence a regular Cop sticking point. Developing countries have long argued that they are not able to decarbonise or implement energy transition plans without adequate financing, and they are prepared to hold other issues hostage to achieve this. Equally, developed countries will not budge on finance until stronger emissions cuts are pledged. Cop summits throw the developed/developing world divide into stark relief as well as shine an unforgiving light on weak management and oversight of Cop debate — an event where every country has an equal vote and needs a strong moderator to bridge that deepening developed and developing world division. This year's summit falls between two much more heavily-hyped Cops, and next year's host Brazil has already taken centre stage, boosted by also holding the G20 presidency. Cop 29 president Mukhtar Babayev asked Brazil and 2021 host the UK to help ensure a balanced outcome, while a strong focus on climate at this week's G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro lent some support to discussions in Baku. More challenges loom. US president-elect Donald Trump has threatened to pull the US — the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter — out of the UN Paris Agreement for a second time, and there are fears that fellow G20 member Argentina might quit too. But the Cop process has dealt with some of these challenges before — it is built to withstand a term or two of an unsympathetic world leader, and any exits from the Paris accord could galvanise others to step up their policy commitments, several delegates in Baku suggest. And the issue overshadowing it all — and the reason nearly 200 countries still turn up each year — is not going away. The world has already warmed by around 1.3°C above pre-industrial levels and this year is set to smash last year's record as the hottest. Leaders from both developed and developing countries spoke of catastrophic floods, droughts, heatwaves and storms. It has become a truism, but when it comes to the tricky issue of money, the only thing more daunting than the cost of tackling climate change is the cost of ignoring it. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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