Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL) is manager of the Port of Brisbane – the third largest and one of the most diverse multi-cargo ports in Australia, driving Queensland and Australia’s trade growth. Utilising a landlord port model, PBPL provides core port infrastructure to support and facilitate trade through the Port.
In response to increasing concerns around climate change impacts and following the development of our own Climate Change Risk Assessment, PBPL implemented an Energy Transition Plan in 2020. Aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the Plan committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2030. It set a pathway to achieve this through the transition from carbon intensive electricity/fuels to more energy efficient technology and zero emission fuels and aligns with Queensland Government priority areas and the 2015 Paris Agreement.
In an extraordinary achievement, PBPL has achieved net zero carbon emissions only three years into our energy transition journey and over six years early. This has been achieved through implementation of the following:
- installation of 1.3MW of local solar energy generation
- development of the Port of Brisbane Virtual Energy Network (VEN) allowing for the virtual movement of locally generated solar energy
- implementation of a retail power purchasing agreement (PPA) to secure renewable firming power from the energy network
- implementation of energy efficiency measures across our power-consuming assets including installation of LED street lighting and flood lighting, and development of energy efficient offices and facilities (for both new developments and refurbishments)
- continued improvement in the energy efficiency of our marine vessels, including dredging equipment
- trial and full implementation of a carbon neutral fuel program for all our purchased fuel.
We continue to work on programs and initiatives to further reduce our reliance on both grid power and fuels to achieve an absolute net zero position in the short term.