Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

We're committed to environmental sustainability and are progressing on our pathway of reducing our net greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2035. Following on from meeting our 2025 target of reducing our total emissions by 44 per cent.

Mid-year update

We’re continuing to actively reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental impact of our operations.

We have committed to meeting the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets below through the Victorian Government Statement of Obligations Emission Reduction:

2025/2026 mid-year update

• We continue to be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy
• Projected reduction of 17 per cent emissions from 2024/2025
• Three electrical vehicles currently in our administration fleet
• Continued investigation into the installation of large scale-generated renewable energy

We’re dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption by enhancing the efficiency of our treatment facilities and pipe network, as well as by implementing new technologies to decrease emissions at their source.

In the 2024/25 financial year, we reported greenhouse gas emissions of 6,387 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2-e), which is two per cent lower than our target of 6,469 tonnes CO2 equivalent and nearly six per cent lower than the reported emissions for 2023/24.

We’re committed to continuously improving our emission reduction strategies to ensure that these reductions are integrated into our operations and that we meet our upcoming targets.

A key component of our zero-emission transition plans includes increasing our renewable energy consumption. This involves designing a large-scale solar installation at our Wy Yung Clear Water Storage Facility, as well as exploring additional sites for solar expansion. We're also investigating battery energy storage solutions, which will help reduce our electricity usage and operational expenses, ultimately benefiting our customers through maintained bill levels.

We’re also focused on advancing our emissions reduction strategies in alignment with policies and directives from the Victorian Government to ensure we meet our next emissions reduction goal.

To decrease our direct emissions, particularly from wastewater and fuel, we are in the early stages of planning significant upgrades to our major water recycling plants. These upgrades will also improve water quality and cater to our growing region. Emissions from fuel, including those from our fleet are also being targeted as we aim for a net-zero goal by 2035. Currently, we have three zero-emission vehicles in our administration fleet and are exploring alternatives for farm vehicles and diesel generators.

As part of our ongoing strategy to reduce wastewater and fuel emissions, we are collaborating with VicWater to investigate carbon offset options across the state and researching opportunities to create our own carbon offsets. These initiatives will establish a solid foundation for further reductions in CO2 equivalent emissions for the 2025/26 financial year and beyond.

Operating efficiently

We continue to progress toward a more business-wide approach to emissions reduction through efficiencies, including monitoring and analysing the performance of our systems and data analytics. This includes embedding our net-zero priorities and climate change adaption into our projects.

Our focus continues on major works aimed at reducing stormwater and groundwater infiltration in the sewer network. This infiltration places increased pressure on our pump stations and treatment plants, leading to increased electricity usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Planning is underway to modify sewers in several sewerage systems to address this issue.

For information on our performance over the last financial year, see our report in the downloads section of this page.

Reporting

Our business plan for 2023-28 (our Price Submission) considers feedback from customers across the region and there was clear support to focus on environmental sustainability.

Based on this feedback, our Customer Advisory Committee has a commitment to provide six-month updates to you on our progress to cut greenhouse gas emissions.