Gippsland Water has renewed its Climate Change Strategy, building on the knowledge it has gained since the strategy was originally launched in 2017. This renewal sets ambitious new targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 – two decades earlier than first planned.
Gippsland Water’s Managing Director, Sarah Cumming, said that as an essential services provider delivering drinking water and wastewater services to about 164,000 people across Gippsland, climate plays a big role in the utility’s operations.
“There is no doubt the climate is changing, and the impacts are already being felt across every part of our business.
“More extreme weather events put more pressure on our systems, leading to more interruptions and hinder our ability to get projects done on time.
“How we respond, adjust and adapt is critical, which is where this plan comes into play.”
Gippsland Water has said that when shaping this strategy update it has called on the in-depth knowledge and understanding of its region and operations it has gained over many years of service, as well as the latest climate research.
From consultation with internal and external stakeholders, Gippsland Water said that it has expanded its knowledge base and identified the top 20 risks that climate change poses to its business.
These risks cover four broad areas across the utility’s operations and services:
- Emissions accounting and reduction
- Impacts on infrastructure
- Capacity constraints
- Natural resources and cultural values
By analysing these areas and planning actions it can take to address them, Gippsland Water has set achievable short and long-term actions and targets. These targets and the strategy overall have been designed to align with Gippsland Water’s vision to provide a healthy and sustainable Gippsland for generations to come.
“Climate change planning isn’t new to us,” Ms Cumming said.
“For many years, we’ve been undertaking comprehensive modelling to understand what’s happening and where we need to adjust. We’ve also spoken with our customers to find out what they think and expect of us.
“In short, they want us to plan for the future, invest in climate resilience, be good environmental stewards and protect our scarce resources for future generations. At the same time, they want us to keep prices fair and take care of those who struggle to pay their bills.
“For these reasons and others, we’re committed to achieving some pretty ambitious emissions and renewable energy targets.
“Those targets are that all of our operations will be powered by renewable energy by 2025 and we’ll reach net zero emissions 2030; and we’re on track to meet both.”
The work so far
Since the release of its strategy Gippsland Water has already taken significant action towards achieving its targets.
Progress so far includes:
Almost doubling its renewable energy generation from 2,806MWh per year in 2017 to 5,451MW per year in 2022
Upgrading its Gippsland Water Factory with two 330kW biogas generators, a 385kW hydroelectric generator and a 1.3MW solar installation
Planting more than 200,000 trees at its property in Dutson Downs, contributing to the removal of carbon from the atmosphere
Developing an Energy Management Strategy, which identifies strategic options for energy cost reduction, including investment in energy generation
Working to replace its vehicles with hybrid and electric vehicles
“We’ve been investing in renewable energy for a pretty long time now and what we’ve learnt is that it can dramatically reduce our power bill. That means reducing our overall operating costs which ultimately allows us to put downward pressure on customer bills.
“Tackling climate change will involve a combination of engineering solutions, strategic thinking, technological improvements and behavioural changes.
“Innovation in the way we think, plan and engineer is essential. That includes exploring and developing ways to potentially capture and use energy within our systems.”
Australia’s largest floating solar array
One of Gippsland Water’s major steps towards its sustainability goals was the switching on of its solar project at the Drouin water treatment plant in April 2024, the largest floating solar array in Australia.
The 350KW system is made up of 644 individual solar panels and floats on one of the plant’s treatment lagoons.
Gippsland Water’s Acting Managing Director at the time, Simon Aquilina, said that the solar panels were part of the organisation’s commitment to renewable energy targets.
“These solar panels will help us reach our renewable energy target of 100 per cent by 2025 and contribute to achieving our target of net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2030. They also positively impact the wastewater treatment process by reducing evaporation,” Mr Aquilina said.
“At peak capacity, the solar array can fully power the treatment plant, producing enough kilowatts to power nearly 90 homes per day.”
Drouin was the eighth Gippsland Water facility to be partially powered by solar energy.
Planning ahead, staying accountable
Gippsland Water will continue to regularly update the public on its progress against the actions in this strategy.
When the current pricing period concludes in 2028, Gippsland Water plans to have an independent third-party audit the progress it has made against commitments set out in the strategy.
This is just one way in which it will demonstrate its accountability and commitment to tackling climate change and building a more resilient Gippsland Water.
“We’ll measure and track our performance and report back to customers with how we’re doing and to also seek their feedback,” Ms Cumming said.
“While no single policy or plan will solve the challenges climate change poses on its own, this strategy brings together the various things we’ll be doing to prepare, respond and adapt so that our customers can continue to rely on us to provide safe and reliable services for decades to come.”
Featured image: Some of the solar panels helping to power Gippsland Water’s operations. Image: Gippsland Water.
