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With Australia currently reliant upon coal for over 85% of its electricity, long-term sustainability requires a balance between the social, economic and environmental needs that influence electricity generation.
Delta’s sustainable development goals are based upon the Balanced Scorecard approach which measures our operations on financial, community, environmental, customer, people and operational performance.
Working closely with key stakeholders including our local communities, state and federal regulatory bodies, research organisations and environmental groups is achieving sustainable outcomes today and positioning Delta for the future.
Several principles guide us in ecologically sustainable development:
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The precautionary principle - that if there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation;
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Inter-generational equity - that the present generation should ensure the health, diversity and productivity of the environment is maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations;
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Conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity;
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Improved valuation and pricing of environmental resources.
As demand for electricity grows an opportunity to introduce renewable technologies exists. However a major challenge for electricity generators is to also achieve sustainable management of the non-renewable resources and capital infrastructure on which electricity currently depends. This is a transition phase where coal, and increasingly gas, maintain an important place in Australia’s energy mix, while research into viable, sustainable renewable technologies continues apace.
The decisions taken today will impact for many decades, just as the decisions to build coal-fired power stations in the 1970s will leave a legacy for several decades yet. Delta is now diversifying its generation portfolio, reflecting community and government expectations of a sustainable future for electricity generation. Our approach includes:
- Minimising impacts of existing coal-fired plants
Investigating transitional, combined technologies
Developing new renewable energy technologies for the future.
We are confident that this approach will ensure long-term competitive advantage that is also environmentally sustainable.
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