Water sector unveils plan to cut emissions by 10m tonnes

The water industry has unveiled its plan to cut around 10 million tonnes of carbon emissions in the coming decade at a cost of between £2 billion and £4 billion.

Water UK has published the routemap to deliver net zero carbon emissions by 2030 after a sector-wide pledge to reach the goal two decades ahead of the UK’s national target.

Christine McGourty, chief executive of Water UK explained the routemap builds on work the sector has done to cut emissions by 45 per cent since 2011 but said it now has to go further and faster.

Geographic and regional differences between each company means there is no “one size fits all” approach, McGourty said. Instead the plan includes a variety of pathways to the scope of challenges ahead.

Complementary to the routemap will be individual company plans that reflect regional challenges and opportunities.

By 2030 the ambition is to:

• Reduce carbon emissions from operations by 60 per cent when compared to the 2018/19 baseline. The remaining 40 per cent will be offset.
• Electrify all passenger vehicles and convert 80 per cent of LGVs and HGVs to alternative fuel sources.
• Save water and energy with smarter and more efficient networks and new strategies to tackle leakage.
• Build up to 3GW of solar and wind generation or enough to meet 80 per cent of the sector’s power demand.
• Expand the production of biomethane as part of wastewater treatment.

McGourty said: “We don’t have all the answers, and we can’t do it alone. But with the support of government, regulators and the supply chain, we believe we can deliver a net zero water supply for customers that also helps build the green skills and solutions needed to protect the environment for generations to come.”

The sector will use non-billpayer funding to support decarbonisation wherever possible. The plan said companies will prioritise and help develop alternative sources like government grants such as for decarbonising heat and planting trees. Water UK said based on early work the sector may be able to reduce emissions at a cost of £100/tCO2e compared to the CCC’s estimates of more than £200/tCO2e for switching to hydrogen and using carbon capture and storage.

Each water company has made progress towards the net-zero target with more work to do to save energy and water around leakage and transition fleets to electrified vehicles. The technology is not yet in place to roll out clean fuel HGVs and Water UK said the sector would be working with vehicle manufacturers to find suitable alternatives.

Crucial to the plan will be exploring how to expand and capitalise on the production of biomethane from wastewater treatment to use as a fuel. Samuel Larsen, programme lead for carbon at Water UK, said further work is underway to explore the best use of this commodity within the water industry and other sectors.

Interventions will also include sequestration and offsets in the form of restoring peatlands, planting 11 million trees, working at catchment level to control pollution at source.

Larsen explained there are still areas of uncertainty and much hinges on the sixth carbon budget from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which was due earlier this year but delayed because of the pandemic.

Larsen explained the targets in the routemap are based on existing data and do not account for the increase to water consumption that hydrogen as a fuel source would add to demand.

Reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 is one of five public interest commitments collectively pledged by the industry and coordinated by Water UK.

An Ofwat spokesperson said: “We are delighted to see the industry taking proactive steps to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. We welcome the 2030 routemap as a step towards the ultimate goal of embedded and operational net zero by 2050. We look forward to working with the industry towards this goal while challenging them to ensure net zero is achieved efficiently, keeping water affordable to all customers.”

The regulator welcomed the emphasis on innovation adn collaboration in the plan to reach net zero as well as the strong focus on nature-based solutions.

“Today marks an important point in the net zero journey. We will look at the detail of the routemap, and will play our part in enabling the industry to make the strongest possible contribution to the country’s net zero aims,” Ofwat said.