Our Path to Net Zero
A key program in our sustainability journey is to reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Creating a sustainable water future
Hunter Water is facing increasing environmental and social challenges such as climate change, water security and intergenerational equity. We are navigating these complex and interconnected challenges by reducing our GHG emissions and improving the resilience of our assets, operations and services.
To achieve action on climate change and maintain affordable services for our customers, we have set our emission reduction target to be net zero by 2035.
Our GHG emissions
Our operations emit around 79,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. We’re committed to providing sustainable services for our customers and communities, and this compels us to play our part in mitigating these likely impacts and adapting to those impacts already locked in.
Our social licence to operate is grounded in our ability to understand and mitigate social and environmental risks within our organisation and operations. Our community has told us that reducing our GHG emissions is important to them.
Understanding our current emissions
Understanding our carbon footprint is the first step to reducing our emissions. Take a look at this handy infographic, which explains how our GHG emissions are categorised.
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Scope 1
All direct emissions: directly produced as a result of water and wastewater treatment and other activities under the control of the organisation, (e.g. fugitive emissions from wastewater treatment; fleet vehicles).
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Scope 2
Indirect emissions: emissions that were released to produce the electricity that was imported and used in the production, transport and treatment of water and wastewater.
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Scope 3
All other indirect emissions: indirectly arising from the supply chain and other business activities.
Our targets
- To achieve our sustainability objective 'Respond to climate change', we have set an ambitious emissions reduction target to be net zero by 2035. This includes our operational Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions. We have also set an interim target of an 80% reduction in 2030 compared to 2020-21 using a market-based electricity calculation approach.*
- In line with the NSW State Government target, we set an aspirational goal to achieve net zero GHG emissions across our supply chain (Scope 3) by 2050.
What we’re doing
Climate change presents a significant challenge, and there are a number of actions we can take to help mitigate its impacts. While we are developing a plan to achieve our net zero target by 2035, we are committed to engaging with our customers and communities to ensure we pursue the most appropriate and affordable path forward
To reduce our carbon emissions, we are:
- Transitioning our purchased electricity to renewables, including the electricity that is needed to power the Belmont Desalination Plant.
- Investing more than $16 million to install renewable energy generation systems at treatment plants and pump stations across our network.
- Exploring options for biogas generated from biosolids and using this renewable energy source to help power our treatment plants.
- Reducing operational energy consumption through energy-efficient pumping and aeration systems.
- Investigating a more sustainable, lower emissions fleet of vehicles.
Renewable energy project
We’re investing more than $16 million to install renewable energy systems at treatment plants and pump stations across our network.
Climate change action
We need to be resilient to change and deliver solutions that can deal with future uncertainty so that we can continue to deliver safe and reliable water services to our communities.