Water UK’s chief executive has urged utility companies to sign up to the UN-backed Race to Zero on the first anniversary of its launch. South West and Welsh Water now join United Utilities, Anglian and Severn Trent in the decarbonisation pledge.
From Water UK
Water industry marks first anniversary as new members join Race to Zero
- South West Water and Welsh Water are the latest water companies to join the Race to Zero
- Water companies signed up to the global campaign are responsible for suppling water and wastewater services to almost 19m UK customers
- First sector in the world to publish a detailed Routemap to achieve net zero emissions
Water UK marks the first anniversary of the Race to Zero by announcing South West Water and Welsh Water as the latest water companies to join the global campaign to tackle climate change.
Together with existing campaign members Anglian Water, Severn Trent and United Utilities, the companies are responsible for the delivery of water and wastewater services to almost 19 million customers through a network of over 5,000 sites, and over 430,000km of underground pipes.
The water sector must find ways to cut the emissions from its most energy intensive activity – wastewater treatment.
Industry experts discussed how this could be done and what challenges stand in the way of creating a circular economy to benefit from what has previously been considered waste.
Article from Utility Week on the increasing importance of process emissions.
The water sector is hurtling towards its self-imposed 2030 net-zero goal. There is much work to be done to drive down the energy intensity of its processes, most notably in wastewater treatment. Process emissions from sewage treatment currently account for around two thirds of the total greenhouse gases output by water and sewerage companies. The journey to net zero will require them to vastly lower the energy consumed across their organisations, add renewable supplies and credibly offset where necessary.