Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs), Safeguard Mechanism credit units (SMCs) and Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates are held in the Clean Energy Regulator’s (CER) Unit and Certificate Registry. Account holders use it to view, hold, transfer and trade units and certificates, meet regulatory obligations and offset emissions voluntarily. It is accessed through CER Online Services.
Key points
- ACCUs, SMCs and REGO certificates sit in the Unit and Certificate Registry
- ANREU accounts are managed in that registry
- REGO accounts support tagging, transfer and retirement
- LGCs and STCs sit in the REC Registry
What the registry holds
The registry holds ACCUs, SMCs, REGO certificates and certified emission reduction units. The CER has said Product Guarantee of Origin (PGO) certificates will also be held there.
ANREU accounts
Australian National Registry of Emissions Units (ANREU) accounts are now managed in the Unit and Certificate Registry rather than the old ANREU system. Holders can view holdings, transfer and acquire ACCUs and SMCs, deliver ACCUs under carbon abatement contracts and voluntarily cancel ACCUs. A responsible emitter needs an ANREU account to be issued SMCs.
REGO accounts
A REGO account is created automatically when a participant joins the scheme. It is used to view, tag, transfer and voluntarily retire REGO certificates.
Safeguard surrenders
Responsible emitters surrender ACCUs and SMCs through the registry to manage excess emissions. They can surrender from their own account or arrange surrender from another person’s account.
How the registry is built
The CER describes the registry as using scalable, secure blockchain technology for environmental assets and an API-first design, supporting deep, liquid and transparent Australian carbon markets.
LGCs and STCs
Large-scale generation certificates (LGCs) and small-scale technology certificates (STCs) are created, transferred and surrendered in the separate Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Registry. The REC Registry also hosts the STC clearing house.
Voluntary cancellation
ACCU holders can voluntarily cancel ACCUs in the registry to offset emissions, which permanently removes them from the market. SMCs cannot be voluntarily cancelled. The Clean Energy Regulator publishes cancellations on its voluntary cancellations register, along with guidance on using the registry.
References & sources
Primary regulatory documents and authoritative references underpinning this answer.