[Data Issue]: AU-VIC coal is 100% brown coal and should have 1200 gCO2e/kWh

[Staionary]

When did this happen?

Since 2019. The factor was probably higher prior to this date.

What zones are affected?

AU-VIC

What is the problem?

The factor applied to the energy produced from coal in Victoria (AU-VIC) is 820 and should be 1200.

The 820 is from IPCC 2014 and is an estimate for coal.

Victorian coal is 100% brown coal. Victorian brown coal has a high moisture content – it can contain up to 70 percent water. A lot of energy is used in drying the coal before it is burnt.

The 1200 gCO2eq/kWh a calculation from the factors below

Three brown coal-fired power stations were operating in 2020, all located in the Latrobe Valley: Yallourn, Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B. Approximately 69% of the state’s electricity was generated by these power stations, slightly down from around 71% in 2019. The reduction was due to unplanned generator outages caused by ageing infrastructure (in particular Loy Yang A’s outage that lasted from May to December 2019) (DCCEEW 2022b, CER 2021, Macdonald-Smith 2019, AER 2020, AER 2021). These power stations generated 33,704 GWh of electricity and emitted 39.5 Mt CO2-e or 47.4% of Victoria’s total net emissions in 2020 (CER 2021).

39.5 Mt CO2-e / 33704 GWh = 1171.97 gCO2eq/kWh

Rounding to two significant figures: 1200 gCO2eq/kWh

Sources

Victorian Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2020, Page 21

[VIKTORVAV99]

@pierresegonne is this something we could change directly or do we need to account for something else?

[pierresegonne]

If the report provides total generation and emissions, I think we could integrate it pretty much as is. We would need to add upstream emissions and document the whole approach in a publicly viewable spreadsheet and/or a wiki entry.

I think there were some discussions around adding adding regional emission factors for AU?

[Staionary]

There is additional data and downloadable spreadsheet, or csv file, from the same government source, it has all the facilities by state and type for the whole of Australia.

Greenhouse and energy information by designated generation facility 2021-22

In Australia, brown coal is only used in Victoria. There is no black coal used in Victoria.

There are other sources of information pertaining to CO2 emissions but the data is cryptic to extract.

• Estimating emissions and energy from coal mining guideline July 2023
• Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors - For individuals and organisations estimating greenhouse gas emissions February 2023
• Greenhouse Pollution Intensity in the Victorian Brown Coal Power Industry - Greenpeace 2005

[Staionary]

Do I need to assist with further actions?

[VIKTORVAV99]

I think this is on hold until #5383 is done/started and we will do them all at once.