en.Wedoany.com Reported - JERA Co., Inc., Japan's largest power generation company, has invested AUD 25 million in the Silva Carbon Origination Fund. This fund is one of Australia's largest, featuring high-integrity nature-based carbon credits, with a focus on integrated reforestation and sustainable agriculture.

The Silva Carbon Origination Fund aims to raise AUD 250 million to generate high-integrity carbon credits, supporting the global transition to a low-carbon future. The fund has already raised AUD 100 million from founding investors.

Silva Capital, a joint venture between investment management firm Roc Partners and C6 Investment Management, will lead the fund's land reforestation projects, generating carbon credits classified as Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).

The fund focuses on developing integrated agricultural and environmental planting projects in Australia to achieve large-scale generation of high-integrity ACCUs. Comprehensive carbon sinks formed through environmental planting help improve soil quality and biodiversity, and aim to complement and enhance agricultural activities.

JERA produces approximately 30% of Japan's electricity, making it a key player in ensuring the country's energy security, and is one of the world's largest buyers of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Through its subsidiary JERA Australia and related companies, JERA has participated in Australian LNG projects and is actively reducing and offsetting its carbon emissions in Australia.

Gaku Takagi, CEO and Managing Director of JERA Australia, stated that the fund's combination of high-quality environmental planting projects with ongoing sustainable agriculture was a major attraction for JERA's investment. He said the integration of continuous agricultural activities with habitat and biodiversity restoration benefits local communities and companies like JERA, which are committed to responsible carbon reduction and robust carbon credit methodologies. Silva Capital aims to balance agricultural productivity with environmental stewardship, a model that supports both economic and ecological sustainability.

Takagi noted that JERA's investment in the fund aligns with the company's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The high-integrity ACCUs expected to be generated will support JERA in decarbonizing its Australian LNG projects through a combination of direct emission reductions and carbon offsets. This investment will also help JERA Australia fulfill its obligations to joint venture partners and meet the requirements of the Australian government's Safeguard Mechanism, which mandates that large emitters reduce emissions annually from a baseline level.

Raphael Wood, Co-Managing Director of Silva Capital, stated that the fund is a pioneering platform for developing high-integrity, nature-based carbon credit projects. He said the Silva Carbon Origination Fund brings benefits to local communities and investors, and the fund manager welcomes the addition of JERA, Japan's largest energy company and a global LNG player. JERA joins other partners in projects that will reforest cleared land, incorporate diverse native plant species, and aim to maintain land agricultural productivity, allowing agricultural activities to proceed simultaneously without compromising environmental goals.

Wood stated that respectful and genuine engagement with local communities to develop projects that meet their needs and aspirations is key to the fund's operations. The fund aims to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, combining sustainable agriculture with carbon sinks, which can be successful for local communities and companies choosing to invest in high-integrity carbon credit creation.

Founded in 2015, JERA is a global energy leader, Japan's largest power generation company, producing one-third of the country's electricity, and one of the world's largest LNG buyers. JERA has global influence and strength across the entire energy supply chain, including participation in upstream gas exploration and production, LNG projects, fuel procurement and transportation, and global power generation. To support a responsible energy transition, JERA aims to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions from its domestic and international operations by 2050.

Silva Capital provides corporate and institutional investors with access to large-scale, high-integrity carbon credits generated through land restoration and reforestation projects, supporting the transition to net-zero emissions. Silva Capital is led by Mr. Raphael (Raf) Wood, who played a key role in designing carbon pricing mechanisms. Silva Capital is a partnership between C6 Investment Management and Roc Partners, a private market fund manager with extensive experience in the Australian agricultural sector.