Bursa Carbon Exchange (BCX), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bursa Malaysia Berhad (Bursa Malaysia), has announced the successful go-live of its renewable energy certificates (RECs) continuous trading on September 9, 2024.
This extends its previous RECs auction capability and includes the facilitation of off-market transactions on its platform, Bursa Malaysia said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the statement, this development marks a significant milestone as BCX expands its trading offering from voluntary carbon credits to now include voluntary unbundled RECs.
It reinforces BCX as a one-stop, Shariah-compliant, multi-environmental product exchange, democratizing access and creating new opportunities for the market through additional asset classes, investment, and trading choices.
Additionally, BCX’s offering of Malaysian RECs has grown from only hydropower REC previously, and will also include RECs generated from solar photovoltaic, bioenergy and
small-hydropower sources.
This diversification in the RECs-product range will allow local corporates to select RECs based on their specific preferences based on their Scope 2 emissions reduction needs.
All RECs are issued under the I-REC Standard, a globally recognized standard body, and adhere to the International Attribute Tracking Standard, managed by the I-TRACK Foundation (formerly known as the I-REC Standard).
The BCX trading platform is accredited by the I-TRACK Foundation, with BCX being the first Malaysian trading platform operator, and one of only eight globally, to receive this accreditation.
The platform will enable participants to conveniently trade both carbon credits and RECs.
“We are pleased to offer this opportunity for companies to take proactive steps in their sustainability journey,
“The BCX platform provides a seamless and efficient way for businesses to procure environmental assets such as RECs and carbon credits, supporting their commitment to reducing carbon footprints and promoting renewable energy and decarbonization projects,” said Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia.
According to him, the availability of RECs continuous trading facilitates the increased adoption of renewable energy in Malaysia, contributing towards objectives in Malaysia’s National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).
“Enabling the trading of RECs encourages more renewable energy projects by making them more financially viable and attractive to investors, which supports accelerating the nation’s transition towards a low-carbon economy,” he added.
The healthy interest and price signals shown by the domestic corporate sector during the inaugural auction of RECs1, and commencement of continuous RECs trading, has demonstrated local market demand for a transparent pricing mechanism and enhanced accessibility to unbundled RECs.
The exchange encourages corporates to onboard onto the BCX platform without delay.
Early onboarding provides benefits such as competitive trading fees, and positions corporates to be well-prepared for their emissions reduction plans and year-end sustainability reporting.
BCX, a subsidiary of Bursa Malaysia, is a global spot exchange that enables corporates to take practical climate mitigation action through the trading of carbon credits and RECs from projects with measurable climate action outcomes that adhere to the international standards.
The carbon exchange was incorporated in 2022 and is operated by Bursa Malaysia Carbon Market Sdn. Bhd.
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