Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme Snapshot
The ACCU Scheme continues to evolve, with significant developments in project registrations, market dynamics, and policy reforms. Here's a concise update based on the latest data from the Clean Energy Regulator (CER).
Project Registrations
As of March 31, 2025, the CER's project register includes a diverse range of projects across Australia, with recent additions focusing on soil carbon, vegetation, and waste management.
Source: https://cer.gov.au/markets/reports-and-data/accu-project-and-contract-register
Market Dynamics
Supply and Demand: In Q1 2024, the ACCU market saw a net balance increase to 38.6 million units, indicating strong supply.
Spot Prices: ACCU spot prices have shown variability, with prices increasing from $34.34 to $36.25 in Q3 2024, and reaching $42.50 by November 2024, driven by high activity from Safeguard entities.
Policy Developments
Safeguard Mechanism: Reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism require Australia's largest emitting facilities to significantly reduce emissions by over 200 million tonnes by 2030, influencing ACCU demand.
Transparency Enhancements: Amendments to the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015 mandate the CER to publish more detailed information on the ACCU Scheme project register, improving transparency.
Source: https://cer.gov.au/news-and-media/news/2025/february/transparency-changes-accu-scheme
Why trade carbon instead of tax it?
Governments use carbon trading to reach climate targets because:
Polluters pay — incentivising emission reductions
Capital flows to innovation — rewarding lower-emission practices
The profit motive works — it creates momentum across sectors
It's scalable — able to engage thousands of businesses at once
Co-benefits beyond climate
Trading carbon credits from farming practices comes with a host of on-ground benefits:
Better soil structure and water retention
Improved nutrient cycling
Reduced erosion and runoff
Higher resilience in dry seasons
Greater biodiversity and food security
Healthy soils mean healthy landscapes, healthy food — and a healthy business.
Farming offsets are a tradeable commodity
Participating in the ACCU Scheme is like any other form of commodity production:
You decide what you can “grow” (soil carbon, tree cover, emissions reduction)
You follow a method and deliver credits to a standard
You can use service providers (project developers or aggregators) to help
You can manage risk through pooling, diversification, and good information
Experience Counts
Carbon Management Services brings together decades of expertise in:
Carbon method eligibility
On-farm emissions reduction
Soil carbon sequestration
Project development and aggregation
Navigating the ACCU Scheme
We know the trading landscape — and we work to put growers first. CMS is here to ensure you make informed, safe, and beneficial decisions.