Intelligent Water Networks help launch Zero Emissions Water

The Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) is delighted to announce that Zero Emissions Water (ZEW) has officially been launched.

ZEW is a new company that represents 13 Victorian water corporations. Its first act was to sign a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Kiamal Solar Farm in Ouyen, north-west Victoria.

This deal and the innovative business model will allow the 13 water corps to purchase solar power at bulk prices, cutting costs, and reducing greenhouse emissions by 80,000 tonnes a year.

ZEW was first conceived in 2016 when the IWN working group for energy and emissions posted the question ‘how could the water sector work together to reduce energy costs and emissions?’

The answer to that question involved initiating a large-scale renewable project which comprised of an options assessment, a feasibility study, an expression of interest to sound out market opportunities and a final tender process.Finally, the 13 water corporations who chose to participate in the project will now purchase power from the Kiamal Solar Farm under the ZEW umbrella organisation.

Collaboratively accessing the energy market as one large organisation means the water corporations will procure energy at a cheaper rate. The expected savings from this deal will help water corporations to offset rising energy costs, which in turn will help to keep customer bills down.

The ZEW partnership demonstrates that Victorian water corporations are leading the way to reduce operational costs and emissions. The innovative structure of this deal is the first of its kind in Australia and is a major step forward towards the sector achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

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