Joint media release: Backbone of future made in Australia is 'go'

The Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy 

The Hon. Josh Wilson MP, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy 

Launched today, the Albanese Labor Government’s high-integrity emissions certification scheme will give a new competitive advantage to Australian businesses and exporters looking to capitalise on the growing demand for renewable electricity and clean energy industries. 

The Guarantee of Origin (GO) scheme will certify the emissions of products like hydrogen and green metals, giving consumers, investors and industry confidence in their low-carbon credentials. It will build trust in buying cleaner, Australian-made products which can be used domestically or be exported to countries decarbonising their own economies.

The ‘GO’ scheme will also certify renewable electricity to provide clear, transparent evidence to support claims of renewable electricity generation use. 

Industry can now register with the Clean Energy Regulator for two types of certificates: 

• Product Guarantee of Origin (PGO) certificates, which record the emissions intensity and key attributes of clean products such as green hydrogen; and
• Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates, which verify when, where and how renewable electricity was generated. 

REGO will overlap with the Renewable Energy Target (RET) certification scheme for five years, providing long-term certainty for renewable electricity investment and procurement. 

For industry investing in clean energy and manufacturing, GO will play an important role in accessing the Albanese Government’s Future Made in Australia initiatives including the $4 billion Hydrogen HeadStart program, the $6.7 billion Hydrogen Production Tax Incentive and the $2 billion Green Aluminium Production Credit. 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen: 

“The global shift to clean energy represents one of the biggest economic transformations since the Industrial Revolution – and it presents Australia with an enormous economic and jobs opportunity. 

“Global investment in clean energy projects is set to rise over USD $2 trillion. Our government wants to grow this – and this scheme provides the regulatory certainty that Australian businesses and investors need to increase our share in it. 

“Our scheme will mean that our exporters, farmers, and industries will be able to seize the benefits of net zero globally, while helping to protect our environment for future generations.” 

Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson: 

“The GO Scheme will help Australia to realise the full economic potential of the energy transition by supporting jobs and investment in a Future Made in Australia, and it will give Australian producers the confidence and credibility they need to compete in a global economy that’s rapidly decarbonising. 

“GO is a high-integrity certificate scheme that will demonstrate how products are made and attest to their lifecycle emissions, opening access to high-value domestic and international markets that demand low emissions products and transparency. 

“A key tool in the Albanese Government’s energy transition toolbox, GO will catalyse the development of renewable hydrogen to the scale we need to power the growth of new industries and jobs, and to decarbonise critical but hard-to-abate industrial sectors.” 

Background 

GO will allow Australian industry to verify the emissions associated with the production, transport and storage of their products. It will also provide a voluntary, enduring certification mechanism to increase the transparency of claims made about renewable electricity use. 

Starting with the certification of hydrogen produced through electrolysis, GO will expand to cover other low-emissions products like green metals, low carbon liquid fuels and biomethane. 

REGO certification can be used:

• by companies to demonstrate their renewable electricity use when producing hydrogen and other products certified through the scheme.
• to support renewable electricity use claims in environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting. 

Today’s milestone follows extensive consultation with industry and international partners over the past five years to ensure the framework is robust, transparent and consistent with global standards.