When your Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) project has generated carbon abatement, you can apply for Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs) which can then be sold to the Clean Energy Regulator, if you have a carbon abatement contract, or sold on the secondary market.
To support your application for ACCUs and to demonstrate that the abatement generated by your project is genuine and additional, you must submit a project offsets report and, if required, an independent audit of that offsets report.
All projects receive an audit schedule upon registration, and some applications for ACCUs will need to be accompanied by a completed audit report.
How to apply for Australian carbon credit units
All applications for ACCUs must be made online via the
Client Portal using the Emissions Reduction Fund Project Report and Crediting Form. To apply, you will need to provide:
- an eligible offsets report covering the reporting period
- a signed application for ACCUs
- an audit report (if required by your audit schedule), and
- method specific supporting documentation, e.g. a report produced by the SAVBAT tool for savanna burning methods.
An application for ACCUs or ERF crediting application will be considered incomplete if you:
- do not supply all the required documentation (listed above)
- do not submit an audit report, if required by your audit schedule, and/or
- your project application has unfulfilled conditions relating to eligible interest holder consents or regulatory approval.
Project registration does not amount to an approval to undertake an activity; it simply gives eligibility to earn Australian carbon credit units if the abatement is delivered.
How long will it take?
We assess all claims for ACCUs on a first come, first serve basis. Your claim for ACCUs will be assessed against the specific eligibility requirements of the method under which your project is being conducted. If your project has been found to not meet any of the eligibility requirements, your application for ACCUs will be rejected.
The Clean Energy Regulator has up to 90 days, from receipt of a complete and accurate application, to process crediting applications. Please factor our
average processing times for these applications, and other reporting requirements, into your project planning.
What happens next?
Once your application for ACCUs has been approved, the ACCUs will be deposited in your
ANREU account. If you have a carbon abatement contract, you can then deliver those ACCUs to the Clean Energy Regulator to meet your contractual obligations and receive payment.
If you do not have a carbon abatement contract for this project, your ACCUs can be sold on the secondary market or can be used to meet contractual obligations for other contracted projects you might have.
Further reading
If you have a carbon abatement contract, please familiarise yourself with the requirements and procedures for delivering ACCUs to meet contractual obligations.