Adelaide Airport has become the first major airport in Australia to reach carbon neutrality.
Since 2018, Adelaide Airport has reduced its carbon emissions by nearly 90%, thanks to improved energy efficiency, the expansion of onsite renewable energy, and sourcing 100% renewable electricity from a local wind farm.
The final step towards carbon neutrality came through an agreement to purchase certified Australian Carbon Credit Units from a land regeneration project in South Australia’s Gawler Ranges.
Facilitated by Canopy, a branch of Greening Australia, these credits will offset the airport’s remaining Scope 1 emissions for 2024/25. These emissions are linked to gas use in the terminal and fuel for operational vehicles.
While the offsets provide an interim solution, Adelaide Airport is implementing plans to further reduce its carbon footprint. Upcoming upgrades will replace gas-powered systems in the terminal with electric alternatives and transition the airport’s vehicle fleet to hybrid or electric models.
From January 2024, the airport also eliminated its Scope 2 emissions by fully transitioning to renewable electricity.
Managing Director, Brenton Cox, said Adelaide Airport still had a long way to go on its overall sustainability journey but this was a proud achievement following several years of work to develop and implement its decarbonisation strategy.
“Our strategy has focussed on seeking to reduce carbon intensity through upgrading to more efficient alternatives, increasing onsite renewable energy generation, and supporting renewable energy projects in South Australia through the airport’s electricity contract,” he said.
“Adelaide Airport is targeting a 100 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We are pleased to have achieved our scope 1 and 2 target ahead of our 2030 timeframe but there is still a long way to go to achieve our net zero ambitions which includes emissions from flights to and from Adelaide.
“Development and use of sustainable aviation fuel is critical to achieving net zero, and in November we joined with the South Australian Government, Zero Petroleum and Qantas to assess the development of a low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel production facility ‘Plant Zero.SA’ in Whyalla.
“Other recent Adelaide Airport initiatives have included upgrading lighting including LED across our terminal and runways precincts, and optimising our plant and equipment to reduce energy usage and emissions.”
