INTRODUCTION
The Guangzhou Emissions Exchange Center (hereinafter referred to as "Guangzhou ETS Center"), a subsidiary of Guangzhou Exchange Group, is a pilot trading institution for carbon emissions rights co-established by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality. It is also the designated platform for the paid distribution and trading of carbon emission allowances by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, one of the first batch of national verified voluntary emission reduction (CCER) trading institutions recognized by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the only dual-pilot institution in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area that holds both the national carbon trading pilot qualification and the pilot qualification for the green finance reform and innovation pilot zone.
As one of the first seven pilot institutions for carbon emissions rights trading in China, Guangzhou ETS Center has maintained a leading position in trading scale among national carbon trading pilot institutions. By March 31, 2024, Guangzhou ETS Center had achieved a cumulative trading volume of 224 million tons of allowances and a total transaction value of 6.411 billion yuan, accounting for 33.40% and 32.88% of the national carbon trading pilot market respectively. Its annual spot trading volume of carbon allowances has successively exceeded that of the European Energy Exchange (EEX) and the Korea Exchange (KRX) in the same period, ranking among the top in the world. It has been widely recognized by national ministries and commissions as well as provincial competent authorities, and has made outstanding contributions to promoting the construction of the carbon emissions rights trading market in Guangdong Province and facilitating industrial transformation.
Centering on the strategic goals of the Party Central Committee—"achieving carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060"—the Guangzhou ETS Center will further consolidate its leading position and core advantages in the environmental rights trading industry, with a focus on carbon emission rights. It will promote the establishment of a trading institution for core elements of green development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and even across the country, as well as a comprehensive carbon neutrality service system. Additionally, it will build a platform with significant influence and competitiveness in the fields of new energy and green finance.
