Scottish Water sets out a roadmap towards net zero

The cleaning and distribution of water is an incredibly energy-intensive process, but Scottish Power has announced plans to neutralise their energy usage by 2040.

Their ambitious plans include adding more renewable energy to their infrastructure alongside carbon offsetting measures, such as tree planting and peat bog restoration.

Scottish Water is the country’s biggest user of energy. Over one billion litres of water are used throughout Scotland every day by Scottish Water customers, generating 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of 40,000 car journeys around the world.

The company is committed to the major investment needed to reach zero carbon in the next twenty years. The Scottish Government has also recently outlined legislation for public bodies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, but Scottish Water’s targets will bring their energy policies and practices ahead of Holyrood by five years.

Some of the utility giant’s existing plants, such as the Erskine Waste Water Treatment Works, are already powered by green energy solutions, but Scottish Power has announced that all facilities are being redesigned to optimise renewables use.

Chief executive Douglas Millican said, “This route map is about doing everything possible to minimise the emissions associated with our activities, irrespective of where they are generated, and maximise the positive contribution we can make.”

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham pointed to the potential for Scottish Water to lead other companies towards net zero. She stated “All public sector organisations will know that this is coming and I’m hoping that they’re going to treat it as a constructive challenge that they will all rise to. I know Scottish Water is speaking to other agencies about how they’ve come to the proposals that they’ve set out.”

Donald Speirs, Business Development Manager for Stirling-based renewables energy specialist Dulas, said that “Scotland benefits from an enormous amount of natural resources which makes the country naturally rich in sources of renewable energy. This is an excellent opportunity for a major Scottish company to demonstrate leadership to the world.”

Scottish Water has already made enormous progress and since 2007, they’ve reduced their operational emissions by 45%. The utility company plan to reduce their carbon emissions by 75% in the next decade, and eliminate them completely by 2040.