Bristol launches net-zero plan tied to its social contract

Bristol Water has unveiled a routemap to decarbonising its business and operations by 2030 aligned with its city’s climate strategy.

Built around the One City plan, Bristol Water’s approach features targets to make the area fairer and more sustainable by 2030. These include educational programmes within the region on environmental issues and climate change.

Its plan was designed to take into account its social contract, formally written in 2018, to create wider public value from works carried out by the water company. The company has a partnership with local utility companies, academic and community groups aimed at changing how resources are consumed.

The company calculates almost half of its carbon emissions currently comes from the electricity used to treat and pump water (46 per cent). Gas generators at treatment works are another significant contributor (46 per cent) to Bristol’s total footprint. Vehicle fuel and other emissions make up the remaining 9 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

Bristol proposed four pathways to reaching net zero are made up of more efficient use of water, switching to low or zero carbon sources of energy, making operations more efficient and removing carbon from the environment.

This plan includes continued work to minimise leakage and promoting water efficiency with customers as well as offsetting the increase in usage from population growth.

Generating renewable electricity will have the most significant impact on the company’s ambition to remove 22,000 tonnes of C02 equivalent each year, the plan states.

During AMP7 the company said it will continue its efficiency and renewable energy programmes and build on those plans before increasing investment at the next price review. Bristol estimates there is an opportunity to generate up to 50 per cent of its required energy from solar installations, which could be linked to community schemes.

Purchasing green energy, while exploring innovation such as hydrogen-fired generation would, Bristol said, remove most of its carbon footprint in a low-risk way. However, the company recognises this would have limited net benefit in the short term and carry uncertain long-term costs.

Reducing leakage comes with its own carbon footprint and can be high cost, however the company aims to lower its leakage by 50 per cent by 2050, in line with sector targets.

On consumption, Bristol will reduce per capita consumption (PCC) to 110 litres/day by 2050, which is a 30 per cent drop on current PCC.

The company said it would take a cautious approach to offsetting – with only one per cent of emissions to be offset – due to uncertainty around the real benefits of offsets. It will increase sequestration at its sites, primarily through tree planting, which it cited as potentially having additional social benefits.