Ørsted has set new climate targets for 2030, aimed at enhancing its path toward achieving a science-based net-zero target by 2040. The new targets, which cover full value chain emissions (scope 1-3), have been formally approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and are aligned with the global 1.5°C pathway.
The company has made significant progress in reducing its direct emissions (scope 1-2) but will now focus on reducing emissions from its supply chain (scope 3). Ørsted is collaborating with its partners to enable supply chain decarbonization, targeting emissions from the manufacturing, installation, and operation of renewable energy assets.
Ingrid Reumert, Senior Vice President of Global Stakeholder Relations at Ørsted, expressed the company's satisfaction with the SBTi validation. “We're pleased to have the formal SBTi validation of our updated near-term climate targets, as this assures us that Ørsted's business model and our immediate actions to reduce emissions are aligned with climate science,” Reumert said.
Reumert emphasized the importance of tangible actions in the company's efforts. She highlighted several key initiatives, including Ørsted's partnership with Dillinger on low-emission steel, its collaboration with Siemens Gamesa to use recycled glass fibers for turbines at the Greater Changhua Offshore Wind Farm, and the closure of its last coal-fired plant, preventing approximately 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
Ørsted's 2030 targets, validated by the SBTi, include:
- A 96% reduction in scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per kWh by 2030, relative to a 2018 base year, achieving 6 gCO2e/kWh.
- A 77% reduction in scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions (excluding emissions from the use of sold products) per kWh by 2030, relative to a 2018 base year, reaching 75 gCO2e/kWh.
- An 86% reduction in scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions from “all sold electricity” per kWh by 2030, relative to a 2018 base year.
- A 67% reduction in absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from the use of sold products by 2030, relative to a 2018 base year, to 8 MtCO2e.
- A 50% reduction in absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 2030 from a 2018 base year.
Ørsted's updated targets represent a significant step in its transition to a greener and more sustainable future, with an emphasis on decoupling renewable energy generation from the emission of greenhouse gases.
