From a 15km long metro in Brazil, to an iconic cable-stayed bridge in the Philippines and one of the largest dams in Canada, Acciona has a presence in more than 40 countries and a turnover of €17.02 billion in 2023.
The company is developing large-scale renewable energy projects in Australia and setting up at Lot Fourteen ensures it can work with other innovators to explore renewable energy and defence opportunities in the state. Closer to home, the company has been delivering transport, water and energy infrastructure needs for decades in South Australia.
Acciona is among a handful of global organisations, including Disney, Microsoft and Shell, who have established self-imposed internal carbon prices to reduce emissions, promote energy efficiency and encourage the use of cleaner sources of power, just as a government tax would.
Since 2020, Acciona has been using its resulting Decarbonisation Fund to purchase carbon credits for those emissions that cannot be abated and, importantly, to invest in pioneering projects to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and to drive innovation in the decarbonisation of the construction industry.
“We have had a Sustainability Master Plan serving as a roadmap for all our actions since 2010, achieving 100 per cent carbon neutral scope one and two emissions status since 2016,” says Bede Noonan, Acciona CEO Australia & New Zealand.
“In 2022, we achieved a 15 per cent emission reduction compared to 2021, and in 2023 reduced a further 7 per cent compared to 2022 even though we grew the company’s operations.
Green hydrogen
In step with the South Australian Government’s Hydrogen Action Plan to accelerate new hydrogen projects, Acciona has been looking at green hydrogen as a potential fuel source for large plant and equipment.
Late last year, Acciona trialed a hydrogen generator, with the aim of proving the validity
of the technology and safety aspects of hydrogen as a power source. The project trial provided invaluable experience for the team in safety approvals, exclusion zones and other operating requirements.
“We absolutely need to be trialing the technology and gathering learnings now, as we know green hydrogen will be a critical fuel in the industry’s future. This year we want to push the limit further with a world-first trial using green hydrogen to generate power for a 25-tonne piling rig,” said Bede.
A strong pipeline of projects in South Australia provides a unique opportunity to introduce hydrogen generators to major infrastructure construction.
“The South Australian power grid is unique in its use of renewable energy, with up to 95 per cent of the power grid comprising renewable power. When hydrogen is made using renewable electricity, the result is a carbon-free fuel,” said Danny Parkinson, Acciona’s Regional Manager South Australia.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil
Beyond green hydrogen, the company is working with the Australian Construction Association (external site) (external site) to champion Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), made by reusing vegetable oils and fats.
They recognise that HVO provides a remarkably sustainable alternative to traditional diesel fuel with no machinery modifications and no adverse effects to machine output.
Last year they completed a successful trial of HVO in earthmoving equipment at the MacIntyre Wind Farm (external site) (external site), in Queensland, seeing tailpipe emissions reduced by over 90 per cent.
Moving to net zero
Acciona’s goal is to achieve a 60 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, and so as new technology is developed globally, they actively aim to be an early adopter of hybrid, electric and hydrogen equipment and vehicles to further reduce their environmental footprint. Like being the owner and operator of Australia’s first Liebherr LB30 ‘Unplugged’ piling rig, the world’s largest capacity battery-operated piling rig.
“We are committed to decarbonising our business by pioneering trials, driving change and pushing progress in this area,” said Bede Noonan.
“Just as importantly as meeting our own ambitious decarbonisation aims, we want to support the construction industry, South Australia and the nation to decarbonise as well.”
The company has also introduced electric motorcycles and a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle as transport options for employees, and industry-leading trials of emerging technologies.
In 2023, Acciona was crowned Australian Financial Review’s overall Sustainability Leader for Impact, placing it as one of the top of companies across 13 categories.
This story originally appeared in Lot Fourteen's Boundless Magazine (external site) and is reproduced here with permission.
