Environmental Impact
Overview
Environmental stewardship is core to what we do. We were established to facilitate renewable energy deployment and therefore contribute to the journey to net zero. Environmental responsibility must underpin how we develop and operate our sites.
GHG emissions
We recognise that emissions reduction opportunities begin at the earliest stage of delivering infrastructure.
We estimate the whole-life carbon emissions of the Phase 1 development at Ardersier Energy Transition Facility will be 268,000 tCO2e*, the bulk of which come from operational user carbon emissions (vessels).
Undertaking this assessment enabled carbon hotspots to be identified, both in the construction and operation of the port.
Where feasible, opportunities to reduce the construction carbon were implemented. This included demonstrating the viability of using site-won material without requiring ground improvement techniques; optimising the design for the quayside apron; and reconfiguring the quay wall and dredge design.
These measures resulted in approximately 30% whole-life carbon savings relative to a business-as-usual baseline.
Additional opportunities to reduce the port operational and user carbon were also identified, including reducing carbon emissions of future tenants’ operations.
Haventus will continue to apply the carbon reduction hierarchy across Ardersier Energy Transition Facility development and future energy transition facilities that become part of the portfolio.
* following the assessment principles outlined in PAS 2080:2023 Carbon Management in Buildings and Infrastructure. We recognise that there is inherent uncertainty in this number and not all emissions sources have been estimated at this stage, however, we view this as a first step in the continual improvement process which is fundamental to carbon management and reduction.
Biodiversity
Our Ardersier Energy Transition Facility contains and is bordered by areas of important biodiversity. We always seek to develop and operate on the site with sensitivity to these important plant, bird and marine mammal habitats. We have committed an area of our harbour to be an additional feeding habitat for wading birds, and we have plans to enhance the biodiversity potential of a lochan on the northwestern edge of the site.
Operational discharges and emissions
As a site that relies upon the environmental integrity of land and sea, ensuring that we minimise operational discharges and emissions is fundamental. We have strict processes and procedures in place to reduce and where possible, eliminate these from our site activities.
Our approach to waste in our facilities is to follow the 4 Rs of the waste hierarchy: reduce, reuse, recycle and recover. We estimate that we will reuse more than 1 million tonnes of site-won materials in the initial phase of our Ardersier Energy Transition Facility’s development.