Cutting - Thailand's cement industry has cut cumulative emissions by more than 3.8 MtCO2e since 2019 through increased use of low-carbon hydraulic cement, surpassing a its emissions reduction milestone under the country's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) roadmap nine years ahead of schedule, The Nation reported. The reductions were largely driven by clinker substitution.

Exploring - Indonesian companies ESGIN Global Partners, a climate technology firm, and Agraus Resources, a project developer, signed an agreement to jointly develop carbon projects in the Southeast Asian country, according to Jakarta Daily. The partnership will target sectors including renewable energy, waste management, industrial decarbonisation, sustainable agriculture, and nature-based solutions.

A Singapore-based agri-tech startup has raised $31 million in a Series B financing round to scale low-emission rice production across Southeast Asia.

Malaysian CCS potential – Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg has called on the Malaysian federal government to establish a regulatory framework for the transportation of carbon dioxide into country, as the number of requests from foreign firms to store carbon off the coast of the state increases. Openg pointed to requests from Japanese and Singaporean companies wishing to utilise Sarawak’s depleted offshore gas fields as storage facilities. The Malaysian state already has its own CCS legislation, but since cross-border transportation falls under federal jurisdiction, coordination with the federal government is necessary.

In limbo – An amendment to New Zealand’s Climate Change Response Act (CCRA) tabled on Wednesday is unlikely to pass parliament before the Nov. 7 election, climate minister Simon Watts told RNZ. He told the outlet that he wanted the bill – which would add non-forestry removals to the NZ ETS, tweak industrial allocation settings, and require local councils to establish climate adaptation plans – to go through a full select committee process. However, there is not enough time to clear this ahead of the vote, with parliament rising on Sep. 24 ahead of its dissolution on Oct. 1, he said.

New Zealand business groups are urging the government to take what they describe as a balanced approach to its proposed ETS price controls and settings, while others have argued the proposals are shortsighted and not fit for purpose.

Electrifying - ASX-listed Janus Electric has received around A$45 mln ($31.5 mln) in signed US fleet orders, more than quadrupling its order book in the country, it announced. The company, which converts heavy diesel trucks to electric using its proprietary modular battery swap and conversion platform, has signed orders with Golden State Express, WEHACO, Tradelink, and King Fio for a combined 67 diesel-to-electric truck conversions, 77 swappable battery packs, and four charging stations. Janus said California government incentives remain a key commercial catalyst, noting HVIP vouchers and Port of Los Angeles 'Plus' Grant reduce the net cost of a Janus conversion to near zero for qualifying operators. It follows the company securing further orders in the US earlier this week.

Paper park - The Australian subsidiary of Nippon Paper Industries has launched a softwood tree plantation and carbon credit generation project in the Green Triangle region of Victoria, it announced. The company said after operating a hardwood tree plantation business, it had decided to switch to softwood species for reforestation now that its existing plantations have reached maturity. It will gradually convert existing hardwood tree plantations into softwood, and by 2028 will establish around 1,500 ha of softwood plantations to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Nippon said it will explore expanding to 10,000 ha as part of Phase 2 of the project. The company has already registered the carbon project (ERF208261) with the Clean Energy Regulator, and expects credits to be generated from 2027.

A US power producer and a Japanese industrial group said Wednesday they would work to cut the cost of integrated gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology by half.