Chirnside Park Shopping Centre has hit two years of being carbon neutral, the first shopping complex in Victoria to reach the achievement.
The shopping centre achieved the required 12-months of continuous carbon neutral operations in late 2022 and received its certified carbon neutral status in February this year.
Carbon neutrality has been primarily achieved by reducing and eliminating emissions through a more than 50 per cent improvement in energy efficiency, and then a switch to renewable electricity.
Where emissions from waste, gas and water are not able to be reduced further, GPT offsets through its partnership with Greenfleet, a not-for-profit environmental organisation committed to protecting the climate through Australian native biodiverse forest restoration projects, as well as the emissions avoided by undertaking renewable energy projects.
The certification also makes it the second GPT Group facility to implement carbon neutrality and is something the Group has set as an ambitious target to achieve for all its assets that are either operationally controlled or have an ownership interest in to be certified carbon neutral by the end of 2024.
“The property sector accounts for a substantial proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions, meaning this is a significant industry milestone. GPT is committed to our position as an industry leader in reducing carbon emissions and we are thrilled Chirnside Park is the first Victorian shopping centre to be certified carbon neutral,” Head of Retail and Mixed-Use at GPT Chris Barnett said.
“This achievement continues to deliver benefits to our tenants through energy efficiency savings while assisting them to achieve their own targets to reduce emissions.”
In August last year, Chirnside Park Shopping Centre launched the Smart Energy Hub as an orderly decarbonisation transition plan.
The hub includes a two megawatt-hour battery coupled with a 650 kilowatt solar array, in addition to a flexible energy consumption program that enhances the stability of the electricity grid during times of energy supply constraints.
The ‘Smart Energy Hub’ uses predictive technology that enables electricity demand reductions of up to 70 per cent of peak demand loads, which also assists in lowering the total cost of energy for the asset. The solar array is predicted to save more than 800,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year – equivalent to the energy use of around 350 homes.
“GPT is committed to climate action and biodiversity protection through the delivery of carbon neutral outcomes including the reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from our buildings,” Head of Sustainability at GPT Steve Ford said.
“We are proud to be playing our part in the global energy transition and the shift to a low-carbon economy, which results in better environmental outcomes for communities like Chirnside Park.”
