Environment and climate change strategy

EPCOR's Environment and Climate Change Strategy

Our environment and climate change strategy, adopted in 2019, has three objectives.

Each objective is supported by ongoing initiatives and projects, embedded in our long-term plan and annual operating plans, reported annually to executive leadership and the board, and summarized in our sustainability reporting and our Annual Information Form.

Reduce our environmental footprint
Improve the resilience of utility infrastructure
Help communities and customers reduce their own environmental footprint and increase their resilience

Environmental performance is at the heart of our operations

Our Senior Vice President, Corporate Services, John Elford shares why our people are excited to help solve challenges to reduce our environmental footprint and protect against the impacts of climate change – while still keeping essential services running.

Reduce EPCOR's environmental footprint

Reduce net greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2025 through green power
Eliminate PCBs above 50 parts per million from electricity infrastructure by 2023
Reduce emissions and energy use from fleet vehicles through tracking and driver feedback
Reduce energy consumption through investments in HVAC, lighting and heat recovery systems
Prevent increases in total loadings of suspended solids to the North Saskatchewan River
Maintain effluent reuse in Arizona and New Mexico to reduce pressure on source water supplies

Utility infrastructure resilience

Implement a multi-year capital program to protect Edmonton's two water treatment plants and electrical substations from the impacts of a 1:200-year river flood
Complete studies and capital program development to protect Edmonton's wastewater treatment plant from a 1:500-year flood
Conduct reviews and updates to electrical infrastructure specifications for climate-driven risks such as extreme heat, storm events and high wind events
Make risk-based investments in utility infrastructure renewal, targeting assets based on risk and impact of failure, and implement drainage system investments to protect the sewer system from corrosion

Community resilience and environmental footprint

Implement our Edmonton flood mitigation program— a 20-year, $1.6 billion system-wide plan to protect homes, businesses and essential services by mitigating flood risk
Grow our capacity to recharge Arizona aquifers to 8 million gallons per day (MGD) of treated effluent through expansion of the Luke 303 Regional Water Reclamation facility
Prepare Edmonton's electricity grid to support customer choice as households adopt electric vehicles and self-generation of electricity
Enable the adoption of electric vehicles through the development of community charging stations
Offer customers convenient options to green their power supply
Enable the greening of the community's natural gas supply by converting biogas from wastewater treatment into renewable natural gas and delivering it for community use
Provide educational tools and resources to help customers achieve energy and water efficiency, resource conservation and home flood proofing