A blueprint for carbon emissions reductions in the UK water industry

Reducing carbon emissions in the UK water industry

The UK water industry is a large consumer of energy and emitter of carbon, much of which is associated with the electricity it uses, though it also makes significant direct emissions. As an industry it is also well placed to become a significant generator of renewable energy, mostly through maximising the potential of biogas generation from wastewater biosolids (sewage sludge) through anaerobic digestion.

With the Climate Change Act requiring the UK to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, the water industry, as with the rest of the UK economy, must make a contribution.