Unlocking Energy and Emissions Opportunities for Australia’s Mining Sector

Australia’s mining industry is under increasing pressure to manage rising energy costs and meet tightening emissions regulations, while maintaining productivity and profitability. At Northmore Gordon, we help mining companies navigate this evolving landscape — turning energy and emissions challenges into opportunities for savings, compliance, revenue and leadership in sustainability.

Challenges Facing Mining Operations

Mining is among the most energy-intensive industries in Australia. From on-site power generation to heavy processing equipment, diesel in mining fleet, and FIFO workers, every operational aspect contributes to significant energy usage and emissions.

Some of the top challenges mining companies face include:

• Rising Energy Costs: Baseline energy use across on-site power, comminution, refrigeration, pumps, compressors, and fans can cost millions, exposing mines to even the most modest of price volatility.
• Emissions Compliance under Safeguard Mechanism: Sites emitting more than 100,000 tonnes CO₂-e annually are needing to either reduce emissions by 4.9% per year or offset them with ACCUs or SMCs at an uncertain future price.
• Data Complexity: Having the right data to make informed decisions and demonstrating verified savings from energy or carbon reduction projects requires robust measurement and compliance.
• Accessing Incentives and Credits: Many mining operations are not aware that they can unlock funding for energy and carbon projects using tradeable Environmental Certificates. These markets are growing rapidly, and they can contribute significant amounts to project financing.

What Northmore Gordon Offers the Mining Sector

Based on our work with multiple mining sites — including operations in Western Australia, NSW, QLD and Victoria — we deliver an end-to-end service suite that includes:

Energy Efficiency

• Comprehensive assessments of whole-of-site operations, energy intensity, benchmarking, and opportunities for improvement.
• Identified and validated savings from energy and carbon projects
• Feasibility and Options studies to support your energy transition and net zero pathway
• Grant funding via the Powering the Regions Fund, ARENA and other federal/state initiatives.

Environmental Certificates and Carbon Offsets

• Registration of your Energy and Carbon projects for Environmental Certificates
• Trading of certificates for revenue – sometimes millions in financial returns
• Management of all aspects of compliance and reporting for certificate projects.

Safeguard Mechanism and ACCUAn ACCU is a unit issued to a person by the Clean Energy Regulator (Regulator) by making an entry for the unit in an account kept by the person in the electronic [Australian National Registry of Emissions Units] registry. Each ACCU issued represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-e) stored or avoided by a project. An ACCU can only be issued to a person if the person has a Registry account. Strategy

High emitting facilities are required to reduce their emissions in line with the Safeguard Mechanism, which usually precludes them from generating ACCUs to subsidise their emission saving.

However, using the methodologies that Northmore Gordon lead in, we can produce ACCUs on site – even for Safeguard facilities.

We help you with:

• Emissions reporting and facility baselines under the Safeguard Mechanism.
• Advisory on compliance pathways, including ACCU procurement and carbon market navigation.
• Strategic planning to minimise exposure to future emissions reduction obligations.

Carbon and Energy Reporting

• Full carbon accounting, emissions profiling, and reporting to align with NGERNational Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme. Large energy users and greenhouse gas emitters that exceed the thresholds must report their detailed energy and emissions data each year to the Australian Clean Energy Regulator. More Scheme and ASRS
• Advisory on integrating renewables and low-carbon technologies into the mining energy mix.
• Generation, management, and sale of LGCs

Options Open to Australian Mining Companies

Mining companies can partner with Northmore Gordon to explore:

• ACCU and energy efficiency certificate creation from efficiency and carbon reduction projects.
• Safeguard Mechanism compliance via emissions reductions and ACCU strategy.
• Grant funding via the Powering the Regions Fund, ARENA and other federal/state initiatives.
• Carbon neutrality pathways and development of internal carbon pricing frameworks.

Your Energy. Smarter. Cleaner. More Valuable.

By working with Northmore Gordon, mining companies gain more than compliance — they unlock strategic energy and carbon opportunities that drive real business value.

Want to reduce costs and emissions without compromising output?

Talk to Jack Warren – Technical Decarbonisation Methods Lead