Argus launches California Low-Carbon Fuel Standard assessment

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Aug 01, 2012, 11:42 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus has launched the first published market price assessment for California Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credits.

Argus' expanded coverage of California emissions markets includes weekly spot assessments of the LCFS credits.

The new data will be published weekly in Argus Air Daily, Argus US Products and Argus US Ethanol. Through these market services, Argus offers the most extensive renewable energy market price data of any publisher.

The LCFS is designed to reduce the carbon intensity of California's transport fuels by 10pc by 2020. The program is part of a suite of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 2013, including a cap-and-trade scheme and a renewable portfolio standard.

LCFS credits are generated by selling low-carbon intensity transport fuels for use in California, such as biofuels, natural gas or low-carbon electricity. Fuel producers are rewarded with LCFS credits by the California Air Resources Board for the amount that they reduce their transport fuel's carbon intensity below their annual target.

Argus already offers expansive coverage of the growing California emissions market, providing daily market assessments of California Carbon Allowances and their volume-weighted average for December 2013 delivery, California renewable energy certificates (RECs) and Green-e voluntary RECs for the Western Electricity Coordinating Council area.

In other North American carbon markets, Argus publishes volume-weighted average indexes for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative states, as well as price assessments for Alberta Carbon Offsets and carbon offsets issued by the Climate Action Reserve.

"The increased trading and interest in North American renewables markets has been dramatic," Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said. "We are happy to continue expanding our coverage and increasing transparency for these growing markets."

Argus prices are used globally in indexation and are the industry reference for North American emissions market activity. In the US, Argus is the primary index for Acid Rain (SO₂) allowances and is used extensively in NOx and CO₂allowance trading, term contract and derivative market transactions.

Request more information on Argus' North American emissions coverage.

Or contact:

Gabriela Alcocer
P: +1 713 429 6308
E: [email protected]

About Argus:
Argus Media is a leading provider of price assessments, business intelligence, market data, consultancy and conferences on the global crude, oil products, natural gas, electricity, coal, emissions, bioenergy, fertilizer and transportation industries. Argus energy and fertilizer prices are widely used by leading companies, governments and international agencies as benchmarks in supply contracts, risk management and planning.

Argus is headquartered in London and has more than 400 staff in offices in Houston, Washington, New York, Portland, Calgary, Santiago, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, Dubai, Moscow, Astana, Kiev, Porto, Brussels, Johannesburg and other key centres of the energy industry. Argus was founded in 1970 and is a privately held UK-registered company.