Australia's GO Scheme Advancements: Shaping a Sustainable Energy Future
Key Ideas
- The Future Made in Australia (Guarantee of Origin) Act 2024, with its supporting Acts, lays the foundation for the robust Guarantee of Origin scheme, addressing Australia's environmental accountability gap.
- The GO scheme provides a framework for government-backed emissions accounting, enabling producers to verify and certify the emissions footprint of their products and renewable electricity.
- The ongoing consultations on draft legislation details aim to set rules for scheme registration, product certification, and renewable electricity generation, shaping Australia's clean energy transition and meeting emissions reduction targets.
- The GO scheme supports the production and export of hydrogen and other clean energy commodities, building confidence among consumers and trading partners in the credibility of low-emissions products.
In December 2024, Australia's Future Made in Australia (Guarantee of Origin) Act 2024 received Royal Assent, facilitating the establishment of the Guarantee of Origin scheme (GO scheme). This legislative milestone, along with the supporting Acts, sets the stage for a reliable emissions accounting framework that aims to enhance Australia's environmental accountability and align with global clean energy standards. The GO scheme offers producers a standardized way to verify and certify the emissions footprint of their products and renewable electricity, enabling them to make credible claims. Ongoing consultations on draft legislation details seek stakeholder feedback to define rules for scheme registration, product certification, and renewable electricity generation. These efforts are crucial in supporting Australia's transition to clean energy and meeting its legislated emissions reduction targets under the Climate Change Act 2022. The GO scheme not only promotes renewable electricity generation but also supports the production and export of hydrogen and other clean energy commodities by offering Product GO (PGO) and Renewable Electricity GO (REGO) certificates. These certificates provide transparent data on the emissions intensity of commodities and the origin and production details of renewable electricity, helping Australian producers meet the growing global demand for low-emissions products. While the initial stage focuses on hydrogen and renewable electricity, future iterations of the scheme could encompass additional low-carbon products like steel, aluminium, biomethane, and biogas, signaling a promising path towards a more sustainable energy future.