This announcement appeared in the IGA August newsletter.
Big News from Australia
The state of Queensland in Australia has become the first jurisdiction in the world to mandate the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) Geothermal Specifications for classifying and reporting geothermal energy resources. The International Geothermal Association (IGA) is responsible for developing and maintaining documents relating to the application of UNFC to geothermal energy via a memorandum of understanding signed with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in 2014. The first ‘UNFC Geothermal Specifications’ were launched in 2016. Since then, the IGA has worked with IRENA, the World Bank, national geothermal energy associations, and other partners to raise awareness of the framework. The Australian Geothermal Association (AGA) provided advice to the Queensland Government as part of a scheduled revision of the Queensland Geothermal Regulations earlier in 2022, including adoption of the UNFC Geothermal Specifications. The recommendation was accepted and the revised Regulations were enacted into state law on 18 August to take effect from 1 September. AGA President, Mark Ballesteros, commented that ,"The AGA is very pleased and proud to have played a key role in the world’s first adoption of the UNFC Geothermal Specifications by Queensland. This represents a significant step forward in the adoption of a globally consistent resource reporting standard, and we hope it provides other jurisdictions with the confidence to also adopt UNFC for harmonised reporting of geothermal energy alongside other natural resources.
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