Yarra Valley Water sign Global Pledge to Net Zero
In an exciting move for the Victorian water sector Yarra Valley Water have signed the Global Pledge to Net Zero and is one of the first water corporations to do so. Pledge to Net Zero is a commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, which supports the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign.
In the Water for Victoria plan, the Victorian water sector committed to setting ambitious emissions reduction targets that speak to the commitment to net zero.
In a statement from Yarra Valley Water, Managing Director Pat McCafferty says:
“In line with the Victorian Government’s strong renewable energy targets, we’re already committed to generating 100% renewable energy by 2025 and we’re halfway towards achieving this goal with 50% of our operations now powered by renewables.
“We’ve achieved this through leading projects like our food waste to energy facility at Wollert, which converts about 30,000 tonnes of food scraps into more than 7,000,000 kWh of clean energy a year. We’ve also installed solar panels at our head office and treatment plants and we’re members of Zero Emissions Water which purchases energy in bulk from Victoria’s largest solar farm.”
The water sector in Victoria is working hard to reduce its emissions across the entire industry and we continue to see a range of innovative projects that are illustrating our commitment to net zero. Some of these projects include:
- The $30+M upgrade to Wodonga Treatment Plant
- The ETP Solar Farm project
- The Cohuna and Koondrook Fishways project
- The Biosolids to Biochar projects
As set out in the VicWater Policy Platform, the Victorian water sector are working towards becoming recognised as a leader in emissions prevention and reduction and aim to achieve genuine carbon neutrality in a cost-effective way without compromising water affordability. You can read more about the VicWater position on the Policy Platform.
We extend our congratulations to Yarra Valley Water on showing leadership in this space and look forward to more Victorian water corporations following their lead.
