Cork Airport Reduces Gas Usage By 50% And Electricity Consumption By 25%.

Cork Airport has made huge strides in reducing its energy costs and achieved a Level 2 rating under the European Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme. For the four year period since 2008, the Airport has reduced its gas usage by a staggering 50% while electricity consumption has decreased by 25%.

This significant energy cost reduction is a direct result of Cork Airport’s work towards achieving Airport Carbon Accreditation. The European wide aviation accreditation blueprint enables airports to implement carbon reduction programmes. Having successfully achieved Level 2 accreditation, the ultimate goal is for the Airport to achieve Level 4, or carbon neutral status. Reaching Level 4 status will involve offsetting the remaining footprint associated with the Airport’s day-to-day operations.

The introduction of electric vehicles at Cork Airport will contribute to the overall carbon reduction process. While there are a number of electric vehicles operating airside at the airport, Cork Airport is currently trialing electric vehicles to operate on the full campus and expects to introduce these vehicles to the fleet by the end of this month.

Niall MacCarthy, Airport Director, Cork Airport, is delighted with the Airport’s Level 2 status achievement: “Since we introduced the European wide Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme here at Cork Airport, a reduction of 2,490 tonnes of carbon has been recorded which is a very significant achievement for Bill Daly, our Head of Asset Care and all the team here in Cork. This equates to taking 725 cars off the road for one year”.

“During the construction of the new terminal, Cork Airport made significant technical improvements and further enhancements to systems that were previously in place, to promote green energy usage. The reduction in energy usage not only reduces the carbon footprint but also delivers real savings to our operating costs. Through our partnership with the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland), we will strive towards gaining Level 3 accreditation and onwards to achieving our ultimate Level 4 or carbon neutral status”, concluded Mr. MacCarthy.

Commenting on Cork Airport achieving Level 2 status, Dr. Brian Motherway, Chief Executive, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland,(SEAI), said “What Cork Airport has achieved is to be commended, not only has it reduced its energy bills considerably, but it’s also lowering its environmental impact. SEAI’s work with public and private bodieshas always delivered energy savings and we’d encourage others to follow the example of organisations such as Cork Airport.”

The European Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme was launched in 2009 by ACI Europe, the European region of Airport Council International. A total of 59 airports are now accredited representing 52.8% of European air traffic.

The next step in this process is for Cork Airport is to achieve Level 3 status. This will involve the ongoing reduction of carbon emissions at the airport, while actively engaging with all third party operators on-site.