We are investing £30 million in carbon mitigation and energy efficiency schemes between 2010 and 2015 to help our carbon footprint.

We aim to mitigate our carbon emissions by 30,000 tonnes each year – the equivalent of taking 1,200 lorries off the road – and generate 20 per cent of our energy from renewable sources by 2020.

We already have 13 Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units generating renewable power at our wastewater treatment works and another unit is planned for our new wastewater treatment works in Sussex.

We have plans to harness energy from flowing water by installing recovery turbines in the long sea outfalls at five of our wastewater treatment works.

Our operational sites will be fitted with 2,000 intelligent meters to help us track our electricity use and identify opportunities to make further energy savings. We are also introducing more efficiency monitoring on our larger equipment to ensure maintenance is carried out at the right time to maintain the best performance.

A trial to use less energy in the aeration treatment process at our Peel Common Wastewater Treatment Works in Hampshire is being rolled out to other works. We also plan to carry out further feasibility studies into generating renewable energy using wind turbines on our operational sites.

As of April 2010, we join the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme, which encourages UK industry to cut emissions and reduce energy consumption. Under the scheme, we purchase carbon vouchers at the beginning of the year for our energy use in the next 12 months.