NSW power company Macquarie Generation is Australia's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, according to Department of Climate Change data.
The company, which operates the massive Liddell and Bayswater coal-fired power stations in the NSW Hunter Valley, reported total direct (so-called ''Scope 1'') emissions of 25.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gasses, or about 4 per cent of Australia's total.
It is the first time the figures have been collated under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Act that requires corporations emitting more than 125,000 tonnes of CO
The department's greenhouse and energy data officer David Rossiter said the 233 companies whose emissions were published on Friday accounted for about 335 million tonnes of CO
This represents about three-quarters of the Australia's total emissions allowable under the Kyoto Protocol, or about 592 million tonnes of CO
Mr Rossiter said the latest figures had not been audited, some companies had applied not to have their emissions data published and there could be a degree of double-counting in the figures where companies had joint ventures but had not decided how to split the emissions between them.
Once audited and refined the Scope 1 NGER emissions data could provide an indication of a corporation's potential liability under the Government's proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
Also published last week were indirect or ''Scope 2'' emissions data, including major power users and electricity network operators and retailers. The top 10 Scope 2 emitters were Alcoa Australia, Rio Tinto, Transgrid, Wesfarmers, Hydro Aluminium Kurri Kurri, Woolworths, BHP, Queensland Electricity Transmission, SP Australia, CHEDA Holdings, Energy Australia and ENERGEX.
