Amsterdam, Netherlands, July 20, 2017 - Arcadis (ARCAD.AS), the leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, today welcomed the Clean Energy Finance Corporation`s (CEFC) $150 million investment in Qube Holdings Limited`s development of the Moorebank Logistics Park at Moorebank, NSW, Australia.
Arcadis provided freight logistic and sustainability advisory services. The intermodal terminal is expected to cut freight truck emissions by more than 110,000 tCO2e per year, the equivalent of burning 25,000 tonnes of coal.
Qube Holdings Limited is developing the Moorebank Logistics Park to take emissions-intensive trucks off Australian roads and increase the use of rail networks to distribute containerized freight to and from Port Botany. The project will also incorporate large-scale renewable energy sources.
John Nicholson, Project Director Australia Pacific, Arcadis: "We are very proud to have provided freight logistics and carbon abatement modelling to help our client Qube secure $150 million in funding. The Moorebank Logistics Park is a significant milestone in Australia`s emission reduction history. Replacing heavy road transport with freight rail will not only significantly reduce emissions but also reduce road congestion and make our streets safer to drive. Arcadis is in the business of improving Australia`s cities, and projects like this help us shape a sustainable future by redefining what is possible when you approach old problems in new ways."
Claire Hodgson, Sustainability Lead Australia Pacific, Arcadis: "This is an incredibly unique opportunity to reshape what sustainability can mean in the transport sector. The net greenhouse gas emissions produced by not building this facility are higher than building it, which is staggering considering the size of Moorebank Logistics Park. The modelling and analysis behind quantifying freight vehicle kilometers and greenhouse gas (GHG) savings was incredibly complex. Modeling and understanding how freight is currently distributed across the southern Sydney region really highlighted how much more efficient rail transportation will be. Quantifying the energy use for the operation of Moorebank Logistics Park enabled us to identify a number of opportunities to further reduce GHG emission; most notably through the inclusion of onsite renewable energy."
CEFC`s funds will be provided to Qube through a new 7-year bilateral term debt facility.
The financing provided by the CEFC will enable Qube to implement a number of sustainability initiatives. When the Moorebank Logistics Park is at full capacity by 2030, these initiatives will potentially:
· Reduce container truck travel on Sydney`s road network by approx. 150,000 kilometers per day (56 million per annum saving 73,000 tCO2-e of emissions)
· Reduce long distance interstate freight truck travel by approx. 93,000 kilometers per day (34 million kilometers per annum saving 41,000 tCO2e emissions)
· Deliver net annual carbon emissions savings equivalent to: removing 11,000 vehicles off the road for a full year or burning 25,000 tonnes of coal
· Generate 65 million kwh/year from renewable energy sources installed on-site capable of powering over 10,000 homes