Mackay Regional Council - Energy & Carbon Management Plan

Project aim

Mackay Regional Council (MRC) is a large, regional local government organisation managing over 7,600km² land with an estimated population of 117,902. The Council has outlined a series of strategies and plans to explore a variety of pathways to net zero corporate emissions and adopted Financial Year 2030/31 as the target year for a net zero corporate emissions pathway for the organisation (excluding landfill emissions). 

pitt&sherry was engaged to review and consolidate the recommendations made in the Corporate Emissions Reduction Plan into a detailed Energy and Carbon Management Plan based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act framework outlined in ISO 50001 standard, to achieve continual improvement in energy and carbon performance.

What we did

A gap analysis was conducted in stage one to assess the effectiveness of Council's existing energy and carbon management structure through reviewing its alignment with the ISO 50001 energy management framework. MRC was found to be on track to establish a complete energy and carbon management program with the existence of some gaps in areas such as continual improvement, performance indicators, resources and competencies. 

In stage two, pitt&sherry developed an Energy and Carbon Management Plan through review and consolidation of the current and planned energy and carbon initiatives, assessment of secondary project drivers and collaborative communication with the Council. The Plan responded to the gaps in ISO 50001 alignment found in stage one and provided improvement processes to address the remaining gaps so that they could be addressed in the next two years as part of the Plan.

Outcomes

The Energy and Carbon Management Plan developed by pitt&sherry in consultation with key Council stakeholders supports Council's transition to net zero by 2030/31, formalises a framework for managing Council asset energy use and will drive ongoing reduction in Council's operational energy costs.