Melbourne Water met its goal of halving net emissions: its 2024-25 annual report puts net Scope 1 and 2 emissions at 204,379 t CO2-e, 50% below a 408,760 t baseline. Gross emissions that year were 395,916 t CO2-e, only about 3% below that baseline. Offsets of 191,537 t CO2-e, the gap between gross and net emissions, did most of the work.
Electricity is falling, process emissions are rising
Between 2017-18 and 2024-25, Scope 2 emissions from electricity fell 33.5%, from 239,101 to 158,999 t CO2-e. Over the same years, Scope 1 direct emissions rose 10.5%, from 214,376 to 236,917 t CO2-e. Direct emissions include methane and nitrous oxide from sewage treatment, which Melbourne Water says accounts for about 85% of its total emissions.
Generation is already large
Melbourne Water's hydropower stations produce more than 69,500 MWh a year, and Western Treatment Plant biogas more than 86,000 MWh since Power Station B began operating in 2022. The 2024-25 annual report counts 56,362 MWh of renewable electricity in consumption of 349,534 MWh. That measure stands at 16.12%, against a stated target of 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2025.
The 2030 problem
The net-zero target falls in 2030, and Melbourne Water expects to rely significantly on carbon credits to meet it. The A$711 million Resource Recovery and Re-Use Complex at the Western Treatment Plant, planned to be fully operational in 2029, adds co-digestion of food waste to raise biogas output. The same plant's lagoons are described as overloaded, so energy gains and process emissions will need to be tracked together.
How Melbourne Water's digital monitoring, climate-ready infrastructure and A$7,307.7 million capital benchmark for 2026–2031 fit its shift from service provider to system operator, and what that means for its finances, are examined in the full report. The full report, Water Utility of the Future: Melbourne Water, is available for USD 499 at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/reports/water-utility-of-the-future-melbourne-water. For a free overview, read the Melbourne Water Utility Snapshot at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/utilities/melbourne-water.