Participating in an auction

Up to $5000 advance to support Soil Method baseline sampling costs for soil carbon projects

An advance payment worth up to $5,000 is available through a pilot program for eligible Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) projects to help with upfront costs of soil sampling.

Key Features

Advance payment for Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs) to assist with meeting the costs of required baseline soil sampling.
ACCUs, subject to the advance payment, must be provided within five (5) years.
One advance payment per eligible project.
Available to projects under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative - Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems) Methodology Determination 2018.
For new baseline soil sampling only.
Data from soil sampling will need to be provided to the Commonwealth to help inform method development.
Project must be connected to a relevant Commonwealth contract.
Contract holder will receive the payment
- Where the landholder is not the contract holder arrangements will need to be agreed between these parties.

See more information on the advance to support soil method baseline sampling.

13th Emissions Reduction Fund Auction announced

The Clean Energy Regulator will hold the 13th Emissions Reduction Fund Auction on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 October 2021.

The documentasset:Guidelines for Auction 13 provide information on how it will be conducted.

Timeline for the 13th Auction

Key events	Timeline	Date*
Project registration application deadline	33 business days prior to the auction	Wednesday 25 August 2021 (12:01 am)
Auction qualification application deadline	25 business days prior to the auction	Monday 6 September 2021 (12:01 am)**
Auction registration application deadline	Five business days prior to the auction	Tuesday 5 October 2021 (12:01 am)
Closing time for declaration of eligible projects	Five business days prior to the auction	Tuesday 5 October 2021 (12:01 am)
Auction window	2 days	Wednesday 13 October 2021 (12:01 am) to Thursday 14 October 2021 (5:00 pm)
Results released, authorised bidder notified and average price per tonne of abatement published	-	As soon as possible following auction close

*All times are given as local time in the Australian Capital Territory. Please note that as of 3 October 2021, ACT time will be set one hour forward as per Daylight Savings.

** New applicants to the scheme who are party to a trust or company may be subject to third party assessment and should submit their auction qualification prior to the deadline to maximise the time available if further information is required.

Contract types

There are two types of contracting options available under the Emissions Reductions Fund. The Fixed Delivery contract and the Optional Delivery contract.

Before deciding whether to participate in an Emissions Reduction Fund auction, you should read and understand the documentasset:Guidelines for the 13th Emissions Reduction Fund Auction, which cover both types of contracts.

You should also familiarise yourself and understand the Code of Common Terms for the two carbon abatement contract types:

You may wish to seek legal or other advice to determine whether you wish to participate in an auction and which contract type best suits your needs. It is important to do this in advance of the auction as you will automatically enter into a carbon abatement contract with the Clean Energy Regulator on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia if you supply a bid and it is accepted.

Once you have decided to participate in an auction there are four key steps: