The Federal Government has just released details of some of the methods relevant to the food industry under the new $2.5 billion Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) and the deadline for public comment is this Wednesday 12 November.
The methods (ways in which an approved project proponent can access credits for emissions reductions under the ERF) that are now available for public comment are:
- The facility method, which will support projects by crediting emissions reductions on a ‘per unit of output’ basis. This method will apply at facilities that produce a saleable product and report emissions under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme.
- The wastewater treatment method, which will support projects that treat eligible domestic, commercial or industrial wastewater in an anaerobic digester and send the resulting biogas to a combustion device which will destroy a large proportion of the methane.
- The transport method, which covers projects that reduce the emissions intensity of transport, across road, rail, air, sea and mobile equipment.
You can read more about these methods and make a submission on the Department of the Environment web site.
Progress is expected to be quite swift now for the ERF, with the Senate passing the legislation to establish the Fund on 31 October. The ERF expands the Carbon Farming Initiative, extending the scope of eligible emissions reduction activities and streamlining existing processes. The ERF is the centrepiece of the Government’s Direct Action Plan. You can read our previous updates on what the ERF means for the food industry here and here.
Shortly, Wiley will release a detailed comment on how we can best assist food manufacturers with ERF projects.
