Stockholm-Arlanda becomes first airport to achieve carbon neutrality status in industry accreditation scheme
Stockholm-Arlanda's aquifer (photo: LFV)
Tue 17 Nov 2009 – Following the launch of Airport Carbon Accreditation by ACI Europe in June, Stockholm-Arlanda has been named the first airport to be accredited at the highest level. The scheme is comprised of four progressive levels: Mapping, Reduction, Optimization and Neutrality. The Neutrality level recognizes that the airport has achieved a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions over the last three years. Additionally, it reflects that the airport is also actively engaging local stakeholders to lower their respective emissions and is also offsetting the remaining emissions under its direct control. Meanwhile, the airport’s operator, LFV, has signed an agreement in which a vehicle biogas filling station will be built at the airport.
Airport Carbon Accreditation is administered by consultancy WSP Environment & Energy and overseen by an independent advisory board with representatives from the European Commission, ECAC (European Civil Aviation Conference), Eurocontrol and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
The programme follows the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, an international standard developed by the World Resources Institute. In order to be accredited at the highest level, the requirements for every other step must also be fulfilled. The basic requirement is a report on the carbon emissions that an airport has control over but also on the emission sources that the airport can influence. All emission sources are then verified in accordance with ISO 14064 (greenhouse gas accounting) by independent auditors. Additional requirements are to demonstrate efficient CO2 management and show emissions reductions.
From 2005 to 2008, Stockholm-Arlanda reduced its emissions by around 50% through increased efficiency measures and a switch to renewable fuels. An important contributor has been the aquifer that provides natural cooling in the summer and heating in the winter, which the airport says is the world’s largest energy storage space.
“For emissions that we have not yet been able to reduce on our own, we’re investing in projects in developing countries that absorb the equivalent amount,” said Fredrik Jaresved, LFV Head of Quality Assurance and Sustainable Development. “We’re proud that the contribution our colleagues have made has resulted in this accreditation, but we continue our work to reduce the remaining emissions.”
According to ACI Europe, over 30 airports – accounting for 26% of European airport traffic – have so far signed up to Airport Carbon Accreditation and are due to become formally accredited in the months ahead. In addition to Stockholm-Arlanda, Frankfurt and Izmir (Turkey) airports have already become accredited.
Meanwhile, LFV has reached a land lease agreement with Stockholm Gas to build a biogas filling station at the airport to cater for a growing demand for biogas as a fuel for airport, employee and visitor vehicles. The operator is actively working to ensure that all taxis serving the airport will be ‘ecotaxis’ by mid-2011 at the latest.
“For LFV, expanding biofuel capacity is absolutely necessary if we’re going to meet the terms of Stockholm-Arlanda’s environmental permit, which includes travel to and from the airport,” commented Per Arenhage, Deputy Managing Director at Stockholm-Arlanda. “With Stockholm Gas, we see a partner that offers the capacity currently needed at the airport – after all, it takes a little longer to fill your tank with biogas, and the queues quickly grow long when there are too few pumps.”
Mathias Edstedt, CEO of Stockholm Gas, said: “We’re building a filling station for the general public with initial capacity for 225 cars and 25 buses a day. It will serve buses as well as taxis and privately owned cars. We’re hoping to help provide a more dependable supply of renewable, climate-friendly fuel, which more and more people are demanding.”
As part of efforts to cut energy consumption by a third by the end of 2010, LFV has also completed the installation of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting in the multi-storey car park next to Stockholm-Arlanda’s Terminal 5. It is the first time that LED lighting has been installed on such a large scale in Sweden.
A saving of more than 65% in energy consumption is expected to be achieved by switching from regular fluorescent lighting to LEDs, which not only have a longer life but also increase the amount of light by 10%. Kenth Arvidsson, Managing Director of Arlanda Energi, said that savings of up to 80% could be made once motion detector lighting was installed.
