Australia's carbon emissions from the main electricity sector continue to climb, driving up the national total just as nations gather in Peru to negotiate a global pact to halt climate change.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the National Electricity Market, which serves eastern Australia, rose at an annualised rate of 3.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide for the 12 months to November compared with the year to the end of June, according to the latest Cedex report by energy consultants Pitt & Sherry.

Coal's recovery means emissions from the power sector are on the up.

"If this rate of increase were to continue for a year ...NEM electricity generation emissions would by themselves increase Australia's total emissions by 1.4 per cent," Pitt & Sherry said.

Emissions from the power sector began rebounding as soon as the Abbott government scrapped the carbon tax. The increase has come even though electricity demand remains subdued and generators have stepped up use of gas-fired plants to exploit cheap supplies of the lower-emission fossil fuel before big export contracts kick in.