ProRail fails to meet CO2 emission target
ProRail reports a downgrade on the CO2 Performance Ladder from level 5 to level 4. The primary reason cited is the failure of the rail infrastructure manager to meet its emission target for own (direct and indirect) energy consumption by 2022.
According to a spokesperson, ProRail’s emissions were approximately 10.6 kilotons in 2022. “The target for that year was a maximum emission of 8 kilotons, equivalent to the emission of 889 households. One significant reason for this shortfall is ProRail’s reduced purchase of green energy for 2022, resulting in a larger portion of electricity consumption being sourced from non-renewable means.”
Additionally, 2022 proved to be a turbulent year for the energy market due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, causing delays in some energy-saving measures.
A lesson for ProRail
CFO Mirjam van Velthuizen-Lormans remarked, “ProRail holds a high ambition in sustainability, which sometimes means falling short of goals, as seen in our CO2 emissions now. A company at the highest level of the ladder is judged accordingly. This serves as a lesson, but ProRail maintains its ambition to reduce CO2 emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 2015. In the coming years, we will continue to focus on achieving energy savings and CO2 reduction.”
Despite the overall disappointing outcome, the so-called scope-1 emissions decreased by 1.3 kilotons in 2022. This refers to emissions from buildings, railway equipment, and company vehicles. “Traditionally, this is the largest emission source,” noted the spokesperson. “The decline is partly attributed to the conversion of gas-fired switch heating to electric heating and the removal of switches.”
“A significant reduction in emissions has also been achieved at stations,” the spokesperson continued. “CO2 emissions have halved compared to 2021. Measures such as insulation, reduced heating, and improved monitoring contribute to this. Furthermore, the share of sustainably generated electricity on company assets increased to 1,600,000 kWh in 2022.”
Five-rung ladder
The CO2 Performance Ladder is a tool developed by the independent Foundation for Climate-Friendly Procurement and Business, aiding companies and governments in reducing emissions. The ladder comprises five levels, with level 5 representing the most sustainable tier. Both level 4 and level 5 are awarded to companies that not only manage their own affairs responsibly but also have a positive impact beyond their own chain.
This article was first published in Dutch by our sister publication SpoorPro.
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