MWH wins UKWIR embodied carbon accounting research project
MWH has been awarded a key project by UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) to develop a standardised carbon accounting framework for ‘embodied’ carbon that will be used by the whole of the UK water industry.
The new guidelines will enable a standard calculation of embodied carbon in new construction projects, such as water treatment plants. This includes the carbon emissions generated from materials such as concrete and steel as well as for activities such as pipe laying.
A process of consistent ‘whole life carbon’ measurement will also be provided. Guidance will be given on applying a price to carbon, i.e. a monetary value given to each tonne of CO2, and the Discount Rate, to assess the value of the investment over a period of time – which will assist water companies with their future investment decisions.
These embodied carbon figures will be combined with figures for operational carbon, that is the carbon emissions generated by the day-to-day energy requirements, to produce a ‘whole life carbon’ measurement.
This project represents Phase 2 of UKWIR's continuing development of carbon guidance. The Phase 1 UKWIR project developed a calculation tool for carbon from energy usage in operational activities. This Phase 2 project provides a means of calculating embodied carbon and provides the economic framework for whole life costing of carbon combining both the "Phase 1" and "Phase 2" emissions.
The background for the project derives from the Kyoto Protocol, limiting emissions of greenhouse gases. In the UK this has led to the development of the Climate Change Levy and Climate Change Agreements, under which companies could obtain a discount on the Levy if they agreed challenging carbon reduction or energy efficiency targets. The Government wants greater consideration of carbon in investment selection and this is now reflected in the PR09 process.
PR09 is a five yearly price review process, undertaken by OFWAT, setting prices limits for water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, in such a way as to enable efficient companies to finance their operations and meet their environmental obligations. PR09 will cover the five years from April 2010.
Gordon Wheale, UKWIR project manager explains: “This project is one of a series addressing carbon emission accounting across the water industry, with several companies having already undertaken work on this topic.
“Their experience will be used to inform development of the new framework so the cost of embodied and operational carbon can be combined to provide a whole life cost of carbon measurement for the PR09 planning process – and in such a way that all the companies are using the same measuring process so direct comparisons can be made.”
MWH’s six strong team, headed by Adrian Johnson, has already begun work on the project. “I am really excited that MWH has won such an important project that will influence the carbon emission policies of water companies across the UK”, said Adrian.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us to agree definitions of what constitutes carbon and how it is accounted for in a fair and accurate way. I have a great group of people on this project, which includes Charles Ainger, MWH’s Director of Sustainable Development, and visiting professor at the University of Cambridge. Our multi-disciplinary team also includes an environmental economist from Risk and Policy Analysts (RPA) and a project researcher with the Scottish Institute for Sustainable Technology (SISTech).”
Gordon Wheale of UKWIR concluded: “We were very pleased with the high quality of MWH’s proposal, its technical content and the qualifications of the team. However the project also provides good value and pays close attention to our specifications. We look forward to seeing the outcomes and are sure it will form a firm foundation for UK water companies when calculating their carbon output.”
