Other case studies

Carbon management plan

The carbon management plan includes energy efficiency, renewable energy and water efficiency and supports our activities to help us adapt to a changing climate. It represents a sustainable and responsible way forward for the business, our customers and the environment. The projects under way, which will help us to achieve our carbon reduction target are outlined below:

• investment of £33.0 million in new thermal hydrolysis advanced anaerobic digestion at Bran Sands, which provides 50% (c.4.7 MW) of the energy requirements of the site. This will enable waste sludge to generate methane to fuel gas engines and produce green electricity. A similar plant will be constructed at Howdon, which is planned for completion in 2013/14. Together these plants will increase our use of renewable energy by 20%, as well as reduce our overall energy demand;
• hydroelectric installations at four reservoirs including the UK’s largest man-made reservoir, Kielder Water. Work on a new £2.5 million hydroelectric project at our Selset Reservoir has begun and will generate up to 750 kilowatts of electricity – 4,000 megawatt hours a year. Renewable energy is also being generated with hydroelectric plants at Derwent, Lartington and Wear Valley reservoirs in addition to biogas combined heat and power plants at Stressholme, Hexham and Aycliffe;
• limiting tertiary UV disinfection outside the bathing water season at five major works reduces energy consumption and carbon emissions with no detrimental effect on the marine environment; and
• encouraging customers, through our ‘using water wisely’ campaign, to recognise that if they waste water, they also waste energy (information and tools are available for customers on our websites).

Through these projects, and by reviewing the efficiency of our pumps across the business, we have reduced the amount of energy used by almost 9% over the last five years.

Northumbrian Water Limited has successfully achieved the Carbon Trust Standard for its efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The standard provides an objective benchmark against which our commitment and success in addressing our climate change impact was assessed and is significant as it demonstrates progress against our ambitious carbon management plan.

Alongside this work, we are continuing to develop our understanding of the potential impacts of a changing climate on the functions of the business. The latest ‘UKCP09’ projections of the future climate were published by the ‘UK Climate Impacts Programme’ last summer and provide a valuable resource for understanding the potential impacts on the business.