Water & Wastewater Treatment

Sharing ideas and successes is critical The Talk: opinion In the second part of WWT's Journey to Net Zero series, Heidi Mottram, chief executive, Northumbrian Water Group and one of three water CEO's leading on the hugely ambitious Public Interest Commitment of becoming net zero by 2030, offers a rallying cry to the sector to come together to tackle the enormous challenges ahead. 8 | MAY 2020 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk A s a sector, the water industry is intrinsically intertwined with the environment. We all take water from the environment, store it, move it, treat it and deliver it to homes, making sure it is the best quality tap water pos- sible for our customers. We then take their wastewater back on this journey and make sure it returns to the highest standards possible before returning it back to the environment from where it came. We start and nish with the environment. How could we not care deeply? And one of the biggest challenges fac- ing our environment right now, in 2020, remains the battle to reduce our carbon emissions. The water industry is in a prime position to lead on tackling this, and I'm honoured to be working along- we work together, sharing experience and ideas, so that everyone bene ts, and so does the environment. Our passion for the environment doesn't start and nish on the borders of our operating areas, we care deeply on a regional, national and global level. At Northumbrian Water, we have set ourselves a really challenging target of be- ing net zero carbon ahead of the industry target, and we are making signi cant progress. We've gone for 2027 not out of any competitive streak, but because we believe it is achievable. We want to help others make similar big steps and also to learn from the impressive achievements of other water companies, so that we can all do more – because that is what is needed right now, more progress. So much has already been done, not only by starting work on a Public Interest Commitment and a route map to net zero Northumbrian Water has signed a long-term agreement with Ørsted to provide 30 per cent of its renewable electricity from Ørsted's Race Bank off shore wind farm, off the coast of Norfolk. side my colleagues at Yorkshire Water and Anglian Water to drive the industry's push towards net zero carbon by 2030. As a business, and for myself as an individual, a passion for the environment has always been something within our very DNA. That's why I am also very proud that at Northumbrian Water we are aiming to hit that net zero carbon goal even earlier – in 2027. I was heartened by a turnout of more than 100 people from across the industry at Water UK's Delivering A Zero Carbon Water Sector conference in March. It was clear that my own passion was shared at that event, not only by the people who attended from water companies, but by those from the supply chain, who are an important group that we need to work with on this journey. Achieving net zero carbon is a challenge we are best placed to tackle if

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