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Large-scale generation certificates
The nominated person for an accredited power station may create large-scale generation certificates (LGCs) for eligible electricity generated by the power station. Eligible electricity is electricity generated from the power station's renewable energy sources.
One LGC can be created per megawatt hour (MWh) of eligible electricity generated by a power station. The amount of electricity generated by a power station is to be worked in accordance with the
large-scale generation certificate general formula.
A nominated person can create LGCs by submitting a 'claim' for LGCs in the REC Registry. Once a claim for LGCs has been received, the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) determines the eligibility of LGCs created - this process is called the 'validation' process - and will register eligible LGCs in the REC Registry.
Registered LGCs can be sold or transferred to entities with liabilities under the Renewable Energy Target or other companies looking to voluntarily surrender LGCs.
Liable entities are companies (mainly electricity retailers) that are required to purchase and surrender LGCs to the CER each year in fulfilment of their obligations under the
Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000.
LGCs are sold to liable entities (and other companies or individuals) in the market at a price determined by agreement between those parties.
Find out more about
buying and
selling LGCs.
LGC claims: 5 steps for creating and registering LGCs
All claims for LGCs must be made through the
REC Registry which facilitates the creation, registration, transfer and surrender of LGCs and
small-scale technology certificates (STCs).
The nominated person for an accredited power station can create LGCs for eligible electricity by submitting a claim in REC Registry. Claims are based on monthly electricity generation from the accredited power station components and approved LGC methodology.
All
LGCs must be created by the 31 December of the year after the year that the electricity was generated. For example, LGCs for any eligible electricity generated in 2021 must be created by 31 December 2022.
Requirement to change REC Registry account permissions
If you would like other users to begin creating LGCs in an account, the account administrator will need to log into the REC Registry and update the permissions for all relevant users. Please ensure that 'enter generation data' and 'create LGCs' are selected (ticked) for all relevant users.
Users without relevant permissions will be unable to enter generation data and will not be able to complete LGC claims.
Most nominated persons submit claims monthly, quarterly or annually.
The steps below set out what is involved in making and processing an LGC claim. Visit the links in each step for detailed guidance.
Step 1: before submitting a claim for LGCs
Step 2: adding power station generation data
Review the
guide to adding power station generation data in the REC registry.
Step 3: creating LGCs
Review the guide to
creating LGCs in the REC Registry.
Step 4: LGC assessment and validation by the Clean Energy Regulator
Review information on
LGC validation and
failure of LGCs.
Step 5: registering LGCs by paying LGC creation fee
Review information on
registering LGCs in the REC registry.
Large-scale generation certificate validation process
Once a power station is accredited, nominated persons may create large-scale generation certificates (LGCs) for eligible electricity generation. Before LGCs can be sold or traded, they are assessed by the CER to ensure they are eligible for registration once an LGC creation fee is paid.
The CER uses a risk-based approach for the assessment of LGC claims and uses a range of third-party information sources and supporting data analytics to determine that a LGC claim made by a nominated person is eligible for registration.
The CER will also check that the power station has:
- a metering arrangement in place which meets all the criteria of the scheme
- correctly applied the large-scale generation certificate eligibility formula, and
- claimed the net quantity of eligible renewable electricity generated, excluding ineligible energy sources, auxiliary loss and any marginal loss factor.
It is important to keep a record of your supporting documentation as the CER may request it for auditing or compliance activities.
The CER may take up to 28 days to validate a claim for LGCs. You can track our LGCs in the REC Registry, including the ability to see how many LGCs have been passed, failed, are pending or under assessment, or pending validation. For more information watch these
demonstration videos.
Failure of large-scale generation certificates
Nominated persons are responsible for ensuring they create the correct number of LGCs that reflect the eligible electricity generation for their power station, calculated in accordance with its LGC methodology under the general formula.
During the assessment process, the CER may require the submission of additional information to support your LGC claim and enable us to be satisfied certificates are eligible for registration. We may also determine that certificates are ineligible for registration, and therefore will be failed in the REC Registry.
See
Failure of large-scale generation certificates for more information.
Communication made by the CER regarding LGC claims is conducted through the Power station generation data and apportioning of LGCs page in the REC Registry for each generation month.
This generates an automated email to the power station's nominated person account users providing notification of a request for further information.
Account administrators should ensure that permission for event-driven "renewable energy power stations" emails have been set for account users, and power station users should monitor their email inbox for these messages.
Ongoing compliance reviews
After the registration of an LGC, and through the assessment of electricity generation returns (EGRs), the CER conducts ongoing reviews of electricity generation by power stations and previous claims made by nominated persons. As a result of these reviews, the CER may request nominated persons to provide further information regarding the creation of an LGC.
The CER may act in response to the over-creation of LGCs that have been registered. This may include making an adjustment of LGC eligibility between months or between years (e.g. reducing the eligibility in a current month to offset for the over-creation in a previous month) or acting under the relevant provisions of the
Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 with respect to the improper creation of certificates.
The CER advises nominated persons regarding any identified under-creation of certificates below a power station's calculated LGC eligibility. The nominated person may create these certificates at any time up until the end of the year after the year of generation, or any date allowed by the CER.
Over or under-crediting of certificates
See the CER's approach to dealing with
over and under-crediting of certificates or units in the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target.