Australian electricity generation emissions drop by 14 million tonnes

• 11 years ago (2013-04-17)
• David Flin

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Australia has released figures for its National Greenhouse Accounts, showing that the country’s carbon emissions from electricity generation fell by 14 million tonnes during 2012. The Accounts state that Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions fell by 0.2 per cent for 2012. Annual emissions for the year to December 2012 were estimated to be 551.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The decrease in overall annual emissions for the year was largely due to a decline in emissions from electricity, resulting from lower electricity demand and changes in the energy generation mix.

The Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory states that emissions from electricity generation were at their lowest level since 2001.

Over the full year, generation in the National Electricity Market from black coal reduced by 5.3 per cent, and brown coal generation emissions dropped by 7.0 per cent, with both seeing their lowest generation levels in more than a decade. Natural gas generation increased 6.3 per cent to its record annual level, and hydroelectric generation grew 20.3 per cent. Generation from other renewables continues to grow, jumping by 10.1 per cent, albeit from a small base.