Climate change

We're committed to preparing for the future and protecting our environment.

We’re taking strong action against climate change now. We’re moving to 100% renewable energy by 2025, and will reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

What this means

Our sites will be powered by 100% renewable energy technologies, including solar, hydroelectricity and biogas.

In the short-term, some diesel and fuel-powered vehicles, equipment and machinery will still be in use, but they will be gradually phased out and most will be replaced with electric-powered versions.

Net zero greenhouse gas emissions means that while some of our activities will unavoidably produce a small amount of emissions, these emissions will be offset by carbon removal projects, such as planting native trees and shrubs.

How we’re going to get there

There are two main ways we are going to reach our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

1. Technology

We will expand our existing renewable energy generation activities. This will include installing solar panels to power even more of our sites. We will adopt newly emerging and existing mainstream technologies to replace the use of fossil fuels.

Currently six of our highest energy consuming sites are powered by solar, with a seventh, our Gippsland Water Factory to become solar-powered in 2022.

2. Offsetting

In the short-term, we can’t completely prevent all carbon emissions and still run efficiently and cost-effectively. That’s why an important part of our plan involves offsetting the small amount of carbon we will continue to emit.

We’ve planted more than 200,000 native plants at our Duston Downs property, which will remove 60,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere over the next 25 years.

We’ll commence a second planting project in the coming years, which will help us completely offset emissions from use of fleet vehicles and plant equipment, which rely on fossil fuels, by 2030.

Offsetting is expected to be a long-term solution to carbon emissions from wastewater treatment, which are likely to always form a part of our operations.

Other ways

In addition to these two main methods, we will also reach our goals by:

• improving efficiency
• moving to electric powered machinery, equipment and vehicles

What we’ve already done

We’re already well on our way to achieving these goals. The actions we have taken so far, include:

• Already, six of our sites are powered by solar, with systems already installed at the Warragul, Traralgon and Tyers water treatment plants, Warragul and Moe wastewater treatment plants, and the Traralgon office.
• We have progressed on our project to install 2000 solar panels next to our Gippsland Water Factory to power the facility, which treats and recycles wastewater from industry and nine towns in central Gippsland. The 1280 kilowatt system produces enough energy to power over 400 Victorian households and at its peak capacity it will be able to completely power the factory.
• We have a biogas cogeneration engine and a hydroelectric generator at the Gippsland Water Factory, which help power the site.
• Between 2019 and 2021 we have planted more than 200,000 native plants at our property at Dutson Downs. As they grow, these plants will remove 60,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere.
• We’ve started to replace our fleet of traditional internal combustion cars with hybrid-electric and wholly electric vehicles.
• We developed an Energy Management Strategy, which identifies strategic options for energy cost reduction, including options for investment in energy generation.

Race to Zero

We’re one of 14 Australian and New Zealand water corporations sharing their climate goals as part of the global United Nations-backed Race to Zero campaign.