Leigh Creek Energy receives certification as a carbon neutral company
Leigh Creek Energy’s carbon neutral status has been officially certified by Climate Active.
Emerging urea producer Leigh Creek Energy (ASX: LCK) has been awarded certification from the Australian government’s Climate Active initiative for the carbon neutral status of its business operations.
Climate Active certification is considered to be one of the most rigorous and credible carbon neutral certifications available.
The company announced its carbon neutral achievement in February, saying it was made possible eight years earlier than originally planned by collaborating with Energy link to identify and acquire carbon offsets through accredited international carbon farming projects.
Climate Active, which certifies businesses that have achieved zero net carbon emissions, vetted the company’s claim through independent experts to ensure it meets the requirements of the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Organisations.
To align with this standard, Leigh Creek Energy has defined its scope 1, 2 and controllable scope 3 emissions, calculated by its carbon inventory, provided evidence of its efforts to reduce emissions and finally, acquired and surrendered carbon offsets to achieve neutrality.
Leigh Creek Energy managing director Phil Staveley said the certification is testament to the effectiveness of the company’s carbonisation initiatives and “our approach throughout the whole design process to keep our project focused on innovative energy efficient solutions”.
“This helps us work towards establishing Leigh Creek Energy as a nationally important, carbon neutral urea supplier for local and export agriculture markets,” he added.
Mr Staveley said the company aimed to remain “ahead of the curve” as it continues to develop its South Australian urea project in a carbon neutral way.
Emissions reduction strategy
Leigh Creek Energy said it is committed to maintaining this high standard each year as it establishes its position as Australia’s first carbon neutral domestic fertiliser producer.
The company has developed an internal strategy to reduce its operational emissions and will track its scope 1, 2 and controllable scope 3 emissions on a monthly basis throughout the construction phase. The emissions reports will be reviewed by management to help identify emission sources that can be minimised by adjusting operations accordingly, or otherwise offset.
The decarbonisation pathway defined during the prefeasibility study for the urea project includes three components: carbon eradication through urea synthesis and production; the use of renewable/hybrid electricity to reduce emissions from syngas fired electricity generation; and carbon capture and storage.
The company said planning and engineering for this carbon neutral outcome is underway through the front-end engineering and design (FEED) process.