CARBON FOOTPRINT OF OPEN CUT PIPELINES (NZ CONTEXT)

K. Manalo (Massey University)

Scholarship funded by BRANZ

ABSTRACT

The government, local authorities, and various industries have made significant strides in their efforts to create, capture, and reduce their carbon emissions. Auckland Council, a local authority in New Zealand, has set an ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, while Watercare in Auckland aims to reduce their emissions from construction by 40% by 2025, which is a year away. In light of these goals, it may be necessary for local authorities to impose requirements on industries, particularly those involved in asset infrastructure delivery, to begin recording their carbon emissions. However, the information on carbon emission baselines, targets, standards, and how to implement them is currently lacking. Additionally, new standards such as PAS2080, which requires carbon management in infrastructure, may exclude contractors or suppliers who are unaware of the standard or not part of the value chain.

To address these challenges, my study aimed to develop a practical method or template that contractors can use to capture their carbon footprint for open-cut excavation and installation of stormwater, water, and wastewater pipelines using actual data. The methodology will encourage contractors to review their work breakdown structures and identify emission sources. The data gathered will then be used to create their own emission inventory, record their carbon baseline emissions, and plan their emission targets. A procedure or guideline will be created to aid in this process.

Further familiarity with the carbon content/knowledge could push the user to study further and potentially compare their estimated carbon values to calculated values by suppliers or designers on open-cut excavations. By doing so, they could calibrate or inquire about the existing information and, if necessary, recalculate the emissions to make progress in reducing their carbon emissions.

The advantage of knowing this knowledge would provide basic knowledge to contractors, suppliers, or any stakeholder without the need for them to pay carbon experts.