NationalCarbonOffsetStandard

CarbonNeutralProgramPublicDisclosureSummary

2015-16

Contents

Declaration...... 2

1.Carbon neutralinformation...... 3

Introduction...... 3

The City of Sydney Council...... 3

Greenhouse gases...... 5

Emissionsourceswithincertificationboundary...... 5

Geographicboundary...... 5

Organisational boundary...... 5

Operational boundary...... 6

2.Emissionsreductionmeasures...... 9

Part A. Emissionsover time...... 9

Part B. Emissionsreductionstrategy...... 11

Part C. Emissionsreductionactions...... 14

3.Emissionssummary...... 16

4.Carbon offsets...... 17

Part A. Offsetssummary...... 17

Part B. Offsetspurchasingandretirement strategy...... 17

Declaration

TothebestofmyknowledgeandhavingmettherequirementsoftheNationalCarbonOffsetStandardCarbonNeutralProgram(NCOSCNP),theinformationprovided inthisreportistrueandcorrect.

date
KimWoodbury
ChiefOperatingOfficer

1.Carbonneutralinformation

Introduction

In 2007theCityof SydneyCouncilresolvedtobecomecarbonneutralfor its ownoperations. InNovember2011,theCity’scarbonneutralitywasofficiallyrecognisedundertheNationalCarbonOffsetStandardbasedonits2009/10emissions.IthassubsequentlyretainedannualcertificationundertheNationalCarbonOffsetStandard(NCOS).

ThisinventorypertainstogreenhousegasemissionsreleasedduetoactivitiesassociatedwithCityofSydneyCounciloperationsintheperiodof1-July2015to30-June2016.Thegrossemissionsduringthisperiodwere39,566tCO2-e.

TheCityofSydneyCouncil

TheCityofSydneyisthelocalgovernmentauthorityresponsibleforthecitycentreandmorethan30suburbs.TheCityofSydney’sroleistoprovideservicesforourresidentsaswellasforthedailyinfluxofworkersandvisitors.Onanygivenday,Sydney’spopulationswellstomorethanamillionpeople.

ThecorefunctionsoftheCityaredefinedbytheLocalGovernmentAct19931,the CityofSydneyAct19882andotherlegislation.Anon-exhaustiveoverviewofCityofSydneyservicesandfacilitiesinclude:

  • Aquaticcentres
  • Communitycentres,servicesandfacilities
  • Culturalactivities
  • Domesticwasteservice
  • Economicdevelopment
  • Eventsandsponsorships
  • Healthandbuildinginspections
  • Infrastructure(roads,footways,drainage,streetlighting)
  • Parkingservices
  • Parksandopenspace
  • Strategicplanninganddevelopmentconsent
  • Sustainability

TheCityownsapproximately250properties,manyofwhicharetenanted.TheCityalsoowns8,599streetlightsandthereareafurther13,000streetlightsownedbytheelectricitynetworkproviderbutdeemedtobewithintheCity’sfinancialcontrol(paysforenergyandmaintenance).

TheCity’soperationsaremostlyrunoutofamainadministrationbuilding,multipledepots,parks,libraries,venuesandcommunitycentres.

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SustainableSydney2030,developedin2008 withthemostconsultation everundertakenbytheCityofSydney,setambitioustargetsincluding70%reductionof2006greenhousegasemissionsforthelocalgovernmentareaandCityorganisation.

TheCity’sdraftEnvironmentalAction2016-2021,StrategyandActionPlanincludesthefollowingtargetsfortheCityorganisation:

  • 44percentreductioningreenhousegasemissionsbyendJune2021,basedon2006levels
  • 70percentreductioningreenhousegasemissionsby2030basedon2006levels
  • 50percentofelectricitydemandmetbyrenewablesourcesbyendJune2021

SustainableSydney2030proposesaGreen,GlobalandConnectedcityandhassignificantlyincreasedtheexpectationsandservicedeliverybytheCityofSydney.

ThisreportisabouttheprocessesandresultsoftheCityofSydneybeingacarbonneutralorganisation,anditdoesnotrefertotheLocalGovernmentArea(LGA).

In2007theCityofSydneyCouncilresolvedtobecomecarbonneutralforitsownpropertiesandoperations.In2011theCitywascertifiedcarbonneutralundertheNationalCarbonOffsetStandard(NCOS)andhasretaineditsannualcertification.

Greenhousegases

TheCityofSydneygreenhousegasemissionsinventoryincludesthegasescoveredbytheUNFCCC/KyotoProtocolincludingcarbondioxide(CO2),methane(CH4),nitrousoxide(N2O),hydrofluorocarbons(HFCs),perfluorinatedcarbons(PFCs)andsulphurhexafluoride(SF6)andnitrogentrifluoride(NF3).However,therearenoknownsourcesofPFCs,SF6orNF3relevanttotheCity’soperations.

TheCityincludesgreenhousegasemissionsfromtheozonedepletingR22refrigerantwithinitsinventory.ThisisanoptionaccordedwithintheGreenhouseGasProtocolRequiredGreenhouseGasesinInventories- Accounting andReportingStandardAmendmentFeb2013. UntilR22isphasedoutitwillcontinuetobeasourceofgreenhousegasemissionsandisthereforeincluded.

Emissionsourceswithincertificationboundary

OuremissionsboundaryisbasedontheGreenhouseGasProtocolCorporateAccountingandReportingStandard3andincludesallScope-1andScope-2emissions,aswellasarangeofScope-3emissions.

Geographic boundary

TheCityofSydneylocalgovernmentarea(LGA)covers26.15squarekilometresofinnerSydneyfromSydneyHarbouratRushcuttersBaytoGlebeandAnnandaleinthewest,SydneyParkandRoseberyinthesouth,andCentennialParkandPaddingtonintheeast.ThisinventorypertainstoprovidingservicestoconstituentswithinthegeographicalareainFigure1.

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Figure1–LocalGovernmentArea

Organisational boundary

TheCityofSydneyorganisationalboundaryincludesemissionssourceswheretheCityisconsideredtohaveoperationalcontrol,asdefinedbytheNationalGreenhouseandEnergyReportingAct20084andtheGreenhouseGasProtocol–ACorporateAccountingandReportingStandardguidance,chapters3and45,foremissionsresultinginthedeliveryofserviceswheretheCityhascapacitytoimplementenvironmentalpolicies.

FortheCityofSydney,thismeansservicesrequiredundertheLocalGovernmentAct1993andSustainableSydney2030andincludescorebusiness,statutory responsibilities,serviceprovision,Councilfacilities,servicesandotherassetsasdepictedinFigure2.

Figure2-Organisationalboundary

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Operational boundary

Operationalcontrolisthepredominantcontrolapproachasdescribedabove.InaccordancewiththeNationalGreenhouseandEnergyReportingAct2008,Section11,theCityincludesallScope-1andScope-2emissionsbasedonaggregateddataforfacilitiesandcoreactivities.Inaddition,therearearangeofScope-3emissionssources.Figure3showsallemissionsthathavebeenincludedorexcluded.

TheCity haschosen toincludeotheremissions sourceswhicharewithinitsfinancialcontrol (e.g.fuelemissionsfrommajorcontractors).

ThedefinitionsforScope-1,Scope-2andScope-3emissionshavebeeninterpretedfromtheNationalCarbonOffsetStandard(NCOS)Version3,November2015andtheGreenhouseGasProtocol–ACorporateAccountingandReportingStandardguidance,chapters3and46.

Figure 3-Diagramoftheboundaryofthe subject ofcertification

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TheCityofSydneyincludesmany Scope3emissionssourceswithin itsinventory. SomeScope3emissionssourceshavebeenexcludedforreasonsinaccordancewithSection4.2.3oftheNationalCarbonOffsetStandard,including:

  • Emissionslikelytobenegligible(relativetootherScope3emissions);
  • Ifdeterminingemissionsisnotcurrentlypossiblegivenavailabletechnology;
  • Ifdeterminingemissionswillbeverycostlyrelativetotheirlikelysignificance;
  • Ifthereisinsufficientdata.

ItisnotconsideredthattheScope-3exclusionscompromisetheoverallintegrityofthereportedinventory.TheCityofSydneyhaspubliclytesteditsemissionsreductiontargetsandcarbonneutralassertionswithinthemedia,localandinternationaleventsandprogramssuchastheC40CitiesClimateLeadershipGroup,theCarbonNeutralCitiesAlliance(CNCA)andtheCDPCitiesCarbonDisclosureProject.ReviewofotherlocalandinternationalGovernmentsatvaryingstagesofcarbon neutralityhas not identifiedanymaterialemissionssourceswhicharenot reported bytheCityofSydney.

Contractorsfuelusage

EmissionsfromContractorsFuelusagehavebeenincludedwithintheCity’sinventoryasScope-3emissionssince2006.ContractoremissionsareoutsideoftheCity’soperationalcontrolhoweverareincludedonthebasisthattheyareprovidingcorelocalgovernmentservicesthatwouldotherwise needtobeprovided by theCity. These emissions havebeencalculatedusingScope-1

+Scope-3emissionsfactorsbasedontheamountandtypeoffuelusedbycontractors.HowevertheyarereportedasScope-3emissionswithintheCity’sinventoryastheyhavebeenproducedbythird-partiesandtherearedataqualityuncertainties.

WhiletheNGERLegislation7requirescontractorstoprovideactivitydatatorelevantreportingentities,theLegislationdoesnotdiscussthecontractor’sresponsibilityfordataaccuracy.CityofSydneyhasalwaysformallyandclearlyrequestedtherequireddatafromitscontractorsinasuitablemanner.However,itisdifficultforCityofSydneytoensurethequalityofthisdata.CityofSydneywillimproveitsapproachtoobtainingcontractorsdatainthefuture,asitisworkingtocreatenewwaystoconductsomedegreeofdatacheckingtoassessitsaccuracyandcompleteness.

7Source:NGERLegislationandContractors/Subcontractors( content/uploads/2013/10/NGER-Contractors-Reporting-Paper.pdf)

2.Emissionsreductionmeasures

PartA.Emissionsovertime

Figures4and5andTables1and2showyear-on-yearchangestotheCity’sgreenhousegasemissions byscopeandbymajor businessunit since2005/06-theyear against whichtheCity’sgreenhousegasreductiontargetwasestablishedthroughSustainableSydney2030.

In previous NCOSreportsa 2010/11 baseyear wasused.From2013/14report,the2005/06 baseyearhasbeenusedforconsistencywithSustainableSydney2030,CityofSydneyMasterPlans,sustainabilityprograms,thebi-annualGreenReport,CorporatePlanreportingandothercommunicationschannels.

The2005/06baseyearemissionsinventoryreceivedindependentassurancebythecompanyBanarraPtyLtd8tothesamelevelas requiredfor certificationunder theNationalCarbonOffsetStandard,toareasonablelevelforScope1and2emissions,andtoalimitedlevelforScope3emissions.

Therehavebeennomaterialchangestotheemissionsboundarysince2005/06.Businesstravelaccommodationandwater,whichhavebeenincludedinthisreportedyearsumuptolessthan200tCO2-eor0.3%ofthewholeinventory.

Totalgreenhousegasemissionshavereducedby25percentsince2006.Thepercentagereductionsaregreaterforsomespecificsectors,forexamplegreenhousegasemissionsfromourbuildingsare36percentbelow2006levels.

Progresstoward the City’sinterim 2016targetandthe targetfor2030 to reducegreenhousegasemissionsby70percentarealsoshown.

Table1-Emissionsbyscope(tCO2-e)

n/a2005/06
BASELINE / n/a2006/07 / n/a2007/08 / n/a2008/09 / Year-1*2009/10 / Year-2*2010/11 / Year-3*2011/12 / Year-4*2012/13 / Year-5*2013/14 / Year-6*2014/15 / Year72015/16
Scope-1 / 4,053 / 4,338 / 4,465 / 5,022 / 4,744 / 4,449 / 4,649 / 4,174 / 4,539 / 4,626 / 4,736
Scope-2 / 37,760 / 38,709 / 38,439 / 35,506 / 35,073 / 33,821 / 31,835 / 29,633 / 28,109 / 27,812 / 26,111
Scope-3 / 11,159 / 11,429 / 11,490 / 11,208 / 10,213 / 10,066 / 10,217 / 10,137 / 8,121 / 7,766 / 8,719
TOTAL / 52,972 / 54,475 / 54,395 / 51,736 / 50,030 / 48,336 / 46,701 / 43,945 / 40,769 / 40,204 / 39,566

*CarbonNeutralCertificationYear

8AcquiredbyKPMG in 2015.

Table2- Emissionsbymajortype(tCO2-e)

n/a2005/06
BASELINE / n/a2006/07 / n/a2007/08 / n/a2008/09 / Year-1*2009/10 / Year-2*2010/11 / Year-3*2011/12 / Year-4*2012/13 / Year-5*2013/14 / Year-6*2014/15 / Year-72015/16
Buildings / 28,775 / 29,075 / 28,626 / 25,750 / 25,203 / 24,718 / 23,150 / 21,847 / 19,711 / 20,468 / 18,996
StreetLighting / 15,131 / 15,699 / 16,057 / 15,636 / 15,269 / 14,783 / 14,653 / 13,730 / 12,404 / 11,942 / 11,382
Parks / 2,502 / 2,636 / 2,610 / 2,850 / 2,878 / 2,578 / 2,468 / 2,197 / 2,206 / 1,824 / 1,648
Fleet / 2,669 / 3,022 / 2,954 / 3,212 / 3,225 / 3,175 / 2,710 / 2,373 / 2,417 / 2,293 / 2,244
Other / 3,896 / 4,042 / 4,148 / 4,288 / 3,455 / 3,082 / 3,720 / 3,798 / 4,031 / 3,677 / 5,296
TOTAL / 52,972 / 54,475 / 54,395 / 51,736 / 50,030 / 48,336 / 46,701 / 43,945 / 40,769 / 40,204 / 39,566

*CarbonNeutralCertificationYear

Figure 4-Emissionsbyscope

Figure 5- Emissionsbymajortype

PartB.Emissionsreductionstrategy

TheemissionsreductionstrategyfocussesontheCity’splannedorintendedactionstoachieveitstargettoreduce2006emissionsby70percentby2030.Thisisanabsolutetarget,basedontheCityplayingitsfairsharetoconstrainglobalaveragetemperatureincreasestobelow2degreesCelsius.

Inthefirstinstance,theCitywillcontinuetodeployenergyefficiencyandsolarPVaspartofitscurrenttendersandcommitments.InadditiontheCitywillcontinuetoidentifyfeasibleopportunitiestoreduceemissionsthroughtechnologies,managementpracticesandthedesignandoperationofitspropertiesandotherassets.

Figure6showsthatthemajorityofemissionsarefromelectricitywhichreflectsthehighlyemissionsintensiveNSWgridduemostlytocoal-firedgeneration.Themajorityofemissionsreductionsachievedtodate,aswellasfuturesavings,willcomebyreducinggridelectricitythroughenergyefficiencyandrenewableenergy.

Figure6–Electricityandnon-electricityemissions

Figures7showstheemissionsreductiontasksforachievingtheCity’sinterim2020andlongerterm2030targets.

Figure7– Targettrajectories20202030

TheemissionssavingsshowninFigure8indicatearangeofopportunitiestoachievethe2030targettoreduce2006emissionsby70percent.Thesechartsarecontinuallyrevisedasnewinformationand opportunities becomeavailable and are included within thetwice-yearly City ofSydneyGreenReport.

Figure8–Tracking2030emissions

PartC.Emissionsreductionactions

Emissionsreductionmeasuresimplementedinthecurrentreportingperiod2015/16areshownintable3.

Table3.Emissionsreductionmeasures

Emissionsource / Reductionmeasure andcalculationmethod / Scope / Statusduringthe reportingperiod / OverallProjectReduction
(tCO2-e)
Managementimprovements / Calculatedbysubtractingcompletedprojectsandmostrecentactualannual emissionsfromthe2006baselineto showchangesthat haveoccurredduetochangesinmanagementandotherinfluences / 23 / Inprogress. / 5,821
Stage1BuildingEnergyandWaterEfficiencyRetrofit(Origin/Ecosave) / Acollectionofprojectstenderedasone projecttoachievea23 percentgreenhouse gasemissionsreductionfromtheCity’spropertyportfolio / 23 / Installationandmeasurementandverificationwerecompleted.Allworks,measurementandverificationofgreenhouse gasandwatersavingswerecompleted. / 6,054
City-ownedLEDlighting / Tendertoreplacethemost energyinefficientlightingluminairestoreduceenergyandemissionconsumption / 23 / Installationcompleted.Threeyearrolloutprogramcovering6,448luminaires. / 2,816
SolarPVproject / Tendertoinstallapproximately1.2 megawattsofsolarPV to30ormoreCity-ownedbuildings / 23 / Basedonpanelinstallationcompletedtodate. / 1,036
Fleet / Maintainfleetemissionsat2014levelsuntil2016. / 1 / Inprogress. / 642
Emissionsource / Reductionmeasure andcalculationmethod / Scope / Statusduringthe reportingperiod / OverallProjectReduction
(tCO2-e)
Futureportfolioincrease / Estimatedimpactofadditionalnewproperties. / 23 / Notinitiated / -4,494
(i.e.increasetoemissions)
Co/Trigeneration / Installcogenerationortrigenerationat2to3oftheCity’saquatic centre / 23 / Conceptstage / 2,403
Stage2BuildingEnergyRetrofit / FurtherenergyefficiencyupgradesacrossmultipleCityproperties. / 23 / Tenderdocumentationreadyandapprovedtogo to market. / 5,963
Ausgrid-ownedLEDlighting / Ausgridto upgradelightingtoLED whichtheCitypaysbill for. / 23 / Conceptstage / 5,334
RenewableEnergy / Installationofon-siteandoff-site renewableenergyprojectstomeettargetfor30percentrenewableenergyby2030 / 23 / Installationinprogress.Solarphotovoltaicstenderawardedfordesign,installation,commissioning,andmonitoring. / 9,022
EnvironmentalManagement / ImplementenvironmentalmanagementprocessestoensureallCitystaffareawareoftheirresponsibilitiesinregardstoenvironmentalmanagement.Continuousimprovementofenvironmentalmanagement / 23 / Inprogress.Influence,hasn’tbeenquantified. / Notquantified
UtilityConsumptionManagement / EducateCitystafftointerprettheSTEvEreportsandtakecorrectiveactiontoreduceenergyuse. / 23 / Inprogress.IntegrationintoCityprocesseson-going.Influence,hasn’tbeenquantified. / Notquantified

3.Emissionssummary

Emissionsourcesandtotalsfortheperiod2015/16arelistedintable4.

Table4.Emissionsinventory

Emissionsource / Scope / Activitydata / tCO2-e
Purchasedelectricityforbuildings,parksstreetlighting / 2 / 31,084,349kWh / 26,111
Purchasedelectricityforbuidings,parksstreetlighting / 3 / 31,084,349kWh / 3,730
NaturalGasinBuildingsParks / 1 / 33,967,293MJ / 1,750
Naturalgasforbuildingsparks / 3 / 33,967,293MJ / 435
Transportdieselbiodiesel(post2004vehiclesfleet) / 1 / 1,001.626kL / 1,943
Transportdiesel(post2004vehicles) / 3 / 704.661kL / 98
TransportULPethanol(post2004vehicles) / 1 / 87.103kL / 192
TransportULPfleet(post2004vehicles) / 3 / 83.113kL / 10
Contractordiesel / 1 / 360.023kL / 979
Contractorbiodiesel / 1 / 1.894kL / 0.2
Contractordiesel / 3 / 360.023kL / 50
ContractorULP / 1 / 96.812kL / 224
ContractorULP(ethanol) / 1 / 0.994kL / 0.01
ContractorULP / 3 / 96.812kL / 12
Businesstravel–flightsaccommodation / 3 / - / 174
Businesstravel-taxis / 3 / 50,404km / 15
Refrigerants / 1 / assumedleakage
498kg / 847
Stationarydiesel / 1 / 1.224kL / 3
Stationarydiesel / 3 / 1.224kL / 0.2
Municipalsolidwaste / 3 / 1,928t / 2,314
NewYear’sEveevent / 3 / - / 552
Paper(A4,A3plotter) / 3 / - / 19
Water / 3 / 457,144kL / 106
TotalNetEmissions / 39,566

4.Carbonoffsets

PartA.Offsetssummary

TheCity’s2015/16greenhousegasemissionswere39,566tCO2-e.However,45,000tCO2-eofoffsetswerepurchasedinadvancetoensuretimelyreportingunderNCOS.

TheCityensuresinformationaboutitscarbonneutralprogram-includingoffsetcertificates-istransparentandavailableforpublicscrutinyonitswebsite

Offsetretirementsthatrelatetothecurrentreportingperiod2015/16areshownintable5.

Table5-OffsetsSummary

Offsettype / Registry / Dateofretirement / Quantity(tCO2-e) / SerialNumber
Purchasedoffsetsfor2015/16greenhouse gasemissions
VCUs / Markit / 07/11/2016 / 13,851 / 2472-106150627-106152360-VCU-018-MER-TH-13-416-
01012009-31122009-0
VCUs / Markit / 07/11/2016 / 25,715 / 2301-95828364-95854079-VCU-009-MER-VN-1-843-
01012010-31122010-0
Sub-total / 39,566
Purchasedoffsetscarriedforward
VCUs / Markit / 07/11/2016 / 783 / 2301-95854080-95854861-VCU-009-MER-VN-1-843-
01012010-31122010-0
VCUs / Markit / 07/11/2016 / 2,975 / 2302-95854862-95857836-VCU-009-MER-VN-1-843-
01012011-28022011-0
VCUs / Markit / 07/11/2016 / 1,676 / 2300-95826688-95828363-VCU-009-MER-VN-1-843-
02082009-31122009-0
Sub-total / 5,434
Total / 45,000

PartB.Offsetspurchasingandretirementstrategy

Purchasedoffsetsthataresurplustothe2015/16periodwillusedtooffsetfutureyearemissions.Remainingoffsetsarepurchasedandretiredinarrearsattheendofthereportingperiodforanyamountsnotpurchasedpreviously.