Apply to participate

If you want to run a project under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme and earn Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs) you need to:

• register as a participant
• register your project
• open an Australian National Registry of Emissions Units (ANREU) account.

Before you start

It's important you understand the rules and requirements of running a project before you apply to participate. You also need to prepare certain documents to submit with your application.

Make sure you:

• check your project meets eligibility requirements
• know what a project proponent is
• plan your project
• understand the rules for your project type and method
• obtain eligible interest-holder consents and applicable regulatory approvals
• calculate your forward abatement estimate.

If you haven't obtained the necessary eligible interest-holder consents or regulatory approvals when you submit your application, your project will only be conditionally declared.

For your project to be unconditionally declared, you will need to provide us with consent from all eligible interest-holders and applicable regulatory approvals before the end of your project’s first crediting period. To help obtain all consents in time, you should engage early with consent holders.

You will need to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals before commencing your project activities.

How to apply

You need to apply through Online Services to participate in the scheme.

Follow these steps to apply to participate and register your project.

Prove your identity and fit and proper person status

You need to prove your identity and pass a fit and proper person (FPP) assessment before you can participate in the scheme. 

You will need: 

• your identity documents 
• a National Police Check certificate issued in the last 12 months. 

You can apply for a National Police Check online or complete the paper application form to authorise us to apply on your behalf.

• If completing the online form, in section 2.3 select ‘Commonwealth Employment/Purpose’ for the purpose type and ’40 – Other Commonwealth Purpose ONLY’ for the purpose of check.
• If completing the paper form, you will need to upload it as part of your application. 

Certain acts are prescribed matters that we must consider in determining FPP status. This includes conviction for certain offences or breaches of schemes we administer.

We also have wide discretion to take into account any other matter we consider relevant to whether you have and continue to have:

• necessary skills
• capability and competency
• good business practices
• integrity and good character.

There are different FPP requirements for carbon service providers. Refer to our carbon service provider FPP guide.

Find out more about our fit and proper person posture.

Register your project

Once you’re registered as a participant you can apply to register your project. 

You will need to provide a: 

• forward abatement estimate
• statement that you have the legal right to conduct the project.

Open an ANREU account

We issue ACCUs for your project to your ANREU account. You can’t receive ACCUs without one.

You must apply to open an ANREU account before you submit your first project report.

Find out how to open an ANREU account.

How we assess your application

When we assess your application, we must be satisfied:

• you are who you claim to be
• your project meets the ACCU Scheme's eligibility criteria
• your project meets the requirements of the relevant method
• you are a fit and proper person and have disclosed any prior convictions or history of non-compliance under a range of laws
• where applicable, you are applying best practice when engaging with native title claim groups, as outlined in our Native title, legal right and eligible interest-holder consent guidance.

We will let you know if your project can be registered.

After your project is registered, we'll send you a declaration of registration and an audit schedule. We will also publish your project’s details on the ACCU Scheme project register. The register lists information about every ACCU Scheme project registered in Australia and the number of ACCUs issued for each project.

Complying with other laws and obtaining regulatory approvals

Project registration means you can participate in the scheme. It doesn't give you permission to conduct activities.

You still need to make sure you comply with any other state, territory and local requirements and laws to run your project. This includes obtaining any regulatory approvals related to land use, the environment or water, such as permits and licences. You must do this before commencing your project activity.

We will require evidence of regulatory approvals for the project before you submit your project’s first offsets report. If you don't obtain these, ACCUs can't be issued for your project.