Keppel sets new pledge to cut carbon emissions by 28.8% from 2010 levels by 2030

KEPPEL Corp has set a new long-term target of cutting its carbon emissions intensity by 28.8 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030 in its global operations.

The new goal is atop Keppel's previous 2014 goal of hitting a 16 per cent improvement in carbon emissions from 2020 business-as-usual levels, the conglomerate said in its latest sustainability report. It is also in line with Singapore's national target of reducing carbon emissions by 36 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.

Keppel said that its Energy Efficiency Committee had evaluated the group's progress towards this goal - based on carbon emissions intensity, and affirmed that it is "on track" to achieve the target.

It also highlighted that as at end-2017, the group's Singapore operations - comprising 80 per cent of Keppel's total emissions - have hit a 27.7 per cent cumulative average reduction in emissions intensity from its 2010 baseline.

This year, it had also become a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, described as the world's "largest corporate sustainability initiative to mobilise a global movement of sustainable companies".

The group added it was working to progressively include overseas facilities in its emissions monitoring.

Across the group, total direct emissions from the use of fuels and the incineration of waste at WTE (waste-to-energy) plants fell to 1.07 million t-CO2 (tonnes of carbon dioxide) from 1.21 million t-CO2 in 2016.

Direct emissions for its Singapore operations fell by 19 per cent to 838,666 t-CO2 from 1.03 million t-CO2 in 2016. The decrease in direct emissions was due mainly to the combination of green initiatives such as the replacement of diesel generators at its shipyards with electricity or renewable energy, as well as reduced yard activities, Keppel said.

The group also noted that there were no reports of spillages, and no sanctions pertaining to spillages administered by Singapore or overseas authorities in 2017.