Orica is on track to achieve another major decarbonisation milestone. By deploying tertiary abatement technology at a second site – its Yarwun facility in Gladstone, Queensland – Orica expects to eliminate an estimated 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) annually once the project is complete.
The installation of two tertiary abatement reactors at Orica’s Yarwun manufacturing facility will eliminate the equivalent of approximately 50 per cent of the facility’s total greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to taking 120,000 cars off the road. Furthermore, it is estimated the project will reduce Australia’s overall industrial chemical sector emissions by four per cent, and Queensland’s emissions for the same sector by approximately 16 per cent.
The installation of the first reactor at Yarwun was achieved safely, on time and on budget earlier this year, with the second reactor in the final stages of commissioning, to be operational by the end of September. It follows the successful implementation of similar tertiary emissions abatement technology at Orica’s Kooragang Island facility in NSW, which is forecast to reduce Australia’s chemical industry emissions by 11 per cent.
To celebrate these decarbonisation milestones, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Hon Chris Bowen MP and Orica Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sanjeev Gandhi joined other officials at a ceremony in Gladstone.
Speaking at the ceremony, Sanjeev said, “Sustainability is at the core of our purpose, and we continue to make progress towards our sustainability and climate targets.
“This milestone highlights Orica’s commitment to sustainability, to supporting our customers in achieving their sustainability goals and to our long-term support of the local Gladstone region.
“The federal parliament’s passage of safeguard reforms last year provided Orica with the investment certainty we needed to proceed with the extension of our decarbonisation strategy. This outcome demonstrates how the right policy settings can enable key corporate commitments and result in significant emissions reductions, even across hard-to-abate sectors.”
Orica’s Yarwun facility supplies essential products to mining, agriculture and infrastructure customers throughout Australia and around the world. This tertiary abatement will provide customers with lower carbon intensive products and enable the reduction of their Scope 3 emissions while supporting the overall decarbonisation goals of regional communities and economies.
Having invested responsibly to deliver significant reductions in net operational Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas, Orica is continuing to build on progress delivered in FY2023, with emissions already reduced by 22 per cent from 2019 baseline levels.
