Thames Water has set out plans to go beyond carbon net-zero goals with an ambition to enter carbon negativity by 2040.
The company’s roadmap to reduce emissions features plans to design and operate assets to be low carbon including energy efficiency and improved process controls. It will switch to lower-carbon technologies that offer same level of capabilities.
To create a net-negative future, Thames said it will increase its export of renewable energy products and procure renewable energy where it cannot decarbonise its own supplies.
Finally, the organisation will consider how it can offset carbon, capture and store carbon and sequestration opportunities. Offsetting would be a last resort, Thames said, but one it would explore if it was necessary to meet goals.
After cutting its emissions from 846ktC02e to 268ktC02e since 1990, the challenge remains to improve wastewater treatment processes, which makes up around two-thirds of the business’ emissions. To achieve this over the coming years to 2030, Thames will produce biomethane from biogas for grid injection and transport fuel. Further it will recover sludge resources and sequester carbon from processes.
It will also address transport by rolling out electric vehicles with relevant infrastructure while working to replace fossil fuels in HGVs with zero carbon alternatives.
Chief executive Sarah Bentley said the company has a much bigger role to play in energy transition in the UK.
She said the company generated 301 GWh of electricity from sewage last year and plans to turn even more waste into power. Thames is exploring options to store and share this power.
“This will also help generate much-needed extra investment for our ageing infrastructure and improve our service to our customers. The opportunity to turn waste into power helps us provide our service in a more sustainable way, enabling our customers, communities, and the environment to thrive.”
The company embarked on a scheme to heat 2000 homes from its Hogsmill wastewater treatment plant in Kingston, which if successful could provide a blueprint for tapping into these resources across the country.
The water industry has set itself a target to be carbon net zero by 2030 as a Public Interest Commitment, coordinated by Water UK. To reach this goal a plan was produced last year that outlines how 10megatonnes of C02 will be cut this decade.