The New South Wales Government has released a new policy, measurement guidance and roadmap in an effort to support net zero infrastructure delivery.
In support of the broader net zero target, the New South Wales Government is launching the Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery Policy, which sets expectations for government agencies on managing embodied carbon in public infrastructure projects.
The policy, co-designed with New South Wales Government agencies and industry, will ensure upfront carbon emissions generated during the production of materials and the construction of infrastructure is a key consideration across all project stages and carbon information is collected consistently for government projects.
A key aim of the policy is to uplift State Government agencies’ carbon management capabilities and to ultimately work towards targets for carbon reduction in infrastructure delivery.
To supplement the policy, Infrastructure NSW has developed guidance on measuring embodied carbon for all infrastructure types.
Providing a policy and guidance on measurement of embodied emissions is expected to give industry and government the mandate and confidence to act to reduce emissions across the project lifecycle.
The policy will apply to all New South Wales Government infrastructure delivery agencies, and to capital infrastructure projects over $50 million in the building sector and over $100 million for other infrastructure.
There will be a 12-month transition period before the policy becomes operational in 2025, during which time the State Government will continue to work with industry and government agencies to effectively implement the policy.
The Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery Policy and measurement guidance are part of Infrastructure NSW’s and Transport for NSW’s Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery Roadmap, which lays out the State Government’s plan and activities to reduce emissions across all project stages over the next three years.
Infrastructure NSW Chief Executive, Tom Gellibrand, said that reducing embodied emissions requires a collaborative approach with all members of the industry supply chain and is necessary to ensure infrastructure built today is positioned for a net zero future.
“This new policy and measurement guidance will ensure New South Wales is among the world leading jurisdictions to have a consistent approach to embodied carbon measurement across all asset types,” Mr Gellibrand.
“Infrastructure NSW will continue to engage closely and transparently with industry in implementing the policy to ensure everyone is on the same page and reaching for the same goal.
“The ultimate outcome of this work is to have carbon considered at every stage of project decision making as part of standard practice in infrastructure delivery, to drive our mutual goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.”
Transport for NSW Secretary, Josh Murray, said that as the largest infrastructure delivery agency in New South Wales, Transport for NSW is delighted to be partnering with Infrastructure NSW to pave the way to net zero emissions for the state.
“This new measurement guidance and Transport for NSW’s pioneering sustainable procurement approach is now being developed at a national level,” Mr Murray said.
“Working in collaboration with industry, we will use the purchasing power of our $72.3 billion capital pipeline to accelerate decarbonisation in the infrastructure sector.”