Opinion 08 | 10

Scottish Water is transforming and so can you

Not long ago the most prevalent response to climate change was to build higher walls, bigger pipes and massive storm tanks. In 2022, things are different.

Providing water and waste water services is energy intensive and we know we need to reduce our own emissions.

We are one of the biggest energy users in Scotland and the water industry as a whole is one of the biggest users in the UK. But why is that? Water is heavy (1kg per litre), we use a lot of it (1.5billion litres a day in Scotland) and we have thousands of treatment works (1834 waste water works alone.) On top of this, we invest over £700 million a year on projects, requiring parts and materials from suppliers all over the globe. Multiplied across water utilities around the world, the scale of the challenge is clear. Last year, we published our routemap to net zero. We committed to reaching net zero operational emissions by 2030 and net zero total emissions by 2040. Every gram of concrete used and every bolt we buy must be offset without buying carbon credits. We have made a start on this journey. Since 2006/7, we have halved our emissions. In the last year, we reduced our emissions by 7%, planted 240,000 trees, installed 1.9GWh of solar capacity and drove 4.9million fewer miles. But we still have a long way to go and the technologies available to us now will not enable us to meet our targets in the future. To overcome this, we are working to innovate, gathering experts from a multitude of different backgrounds together to develop new ideas and trial new technologies, bringing them to life faster so they can be adopted quickly. For example, we have been piloting low carbon concrete, which if successful, can be adopted by us and others to greatly reduce the carbon emissions in the construction sector.

But what advice can we give to others trying to do similar things in their businesses? In preparing this blog, I spoke to Mark Williams our Head of Sustainability and Climate Change. I want to leave you with what he believes are the four key steps for businesses to follow to become more sustainable and cut emissions.

Step 1: start somewhere - set a boundary for your activities and the emissions that you can control, manage or be responsible for. This will give you a basis for the areas you can focus on. Step 2: measure - there are many ways of assessing and estimating emissions. Search the web for government or carbon trust sites that have tools and calculators. Establish a baseline and don’t worry about being overly precise. Make a start and improve the accuracy over time. Use this to understand and target where the biggest opportunities are within the boundary that you set in step 1. Step 3: plan and scope your actions - what can you do to reduce emissions? - where can you eliminate emissions from your activities? Track your progress as part of a plan and report it annually against the original baseline to understand what works well, what needs to change and what more you can do.

Step 4: repeat steps 1-3 until you get to net zero.

Find out more about Scottish Water’s Net Zero Emissions Routemap here:

scottishwaternetzero.co.uk

Repower, Recharge, Rethink - Working towards a brighter future

As Scotland’s renewables industry continues to evolve, Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP’s 2022 renewable energy conference is set to be one of the key networking events of the year for industry leaders.

Nicola Martin

Partner, Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP

Last year’s event was a huge success, with over 100 individuals at the core of Scotland’s renewable energy sector gathering to discuss the challenges we collectively face, and how we can work together to be as proactive as possible as an industry. Our 2021 conference coincided with COP26’s official Day of Energy, but the conversation around energy has moved on considerably since then.

The war in Ukraine has caused severe energy uncertainty and put a focus on the sector’s role in fulfilling long-term domestic energy security. Achieving net-zero continues to be a challenge, so it’s important the renewables sector can rise to the occasion and prove itself again as the most viable investment option. Our conference will act as an opportunity for industry leaders to gather and discuss three key themes - Repower, Recharge and Rethink, coming together to create a path through the fresh challenges that lie ahead.

Repower

A number of renewable projects that commenced in the late '90s are approaching the end of their life span and developers know that repowering is their only option. It is not an if but when for these high-level investments. Calculations are being made in the background as to when and how a site should be repowered and there is no one size fits all approach.

Recharge

The National Grid says battery storage technologies will play “an increasingly pivotal role between green energy supplies and responding to electricity demands” with reports showing a surge of projects in the pipeline around the UK. As a sector we still await how it will present itself, either as complimentary to, or in competition of the growth in green hydrogen production.

Rethink

Co-location of renewable energy generation, the creation of energy parks with close involvement of the local community, habitat enhancement and futureproofing of sites with local stakeholders at heart are ways forward that are being explored. Technologies relating to aviation lighting and the approach of the MoD and Scottish Government to the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array are continuing to evolve and engage the industry. Like a turbine, the renewable sector relies on the environment around it. The content of the soon to be adopted NPF4 and OWPS Update will be highly significant in the navigation of the prevailing winds of economic, political, and legal change. These must be harnessed by an industry that will play a major role in making Scotland energy secure, while upholding our collective duty to reach net-zero. Find out more about our annual seminar, being held on Thursday 10 November at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, and book your free place by emailing events@wjm.co.uk

wjm.co.uk