Springfield aims to become world’s greenest city by 2038 under new strategy

More than three billion dollars will be invested into Springfield City on Brisbane’s doorstep, under an Australianfirst strategy designed to make it the world’s most eco-friendly community by 2038.

Springfield City Group (SCG) Chairman Maha Sinnathamby today welcomed the 18-year plan, devised under a strategic alliance with ENGIE, a world leader in the global transition to clean, green resilient economies.

Mr Sinnathamby said the comprehensive blueprint would help the city – where the population is expected to triple to about 130,000 over the next two decades – “get to the stage where we are producing more energy than we consume” by 2038.

“We have one chance – and the responsibility to our residents both now and into the future – to get this right and be an ongoing example for others to follow,” Mr Sinnathamby said.

“The focus on efficient and sustainable energy production, storage, and integration with the community - has never been more important for Australia, and for Springfield City, which is the nation’s fastest-growing community.”

The partnership between Springfield City Group (SCG), which recently celebrated its 28th birthday, and ENGIE was formalised in 2018.

The new roadmap – the first of its kind for an Australian city - was developed by Tractebel, a worldleading engineering company for sustainable projects.

Under the eco-friendly strategy, at least a third of Springfield City would be set aside as “green space” and residents would have widespread access to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and a hydrogen bus network, and see 100% of their power delivered through renewable sources.

“Master-planned around connective pillars of health, education and technology – and with innovation underpinning our city’s livability and sustainability, Springfield City is perfectly placed to rapidly implement Tractebel’s strategy,” Mr Sinnathamby said.

“Our goal is to have no homes or businesses powered by fossil fuels by 2038, with hydrogen-powered buses providing transport options, and solar panels installed on every suitable rooftop.”

More than three billion dollars will be invested into Springfield City on Brisbane’s doorstep, under an Australian-first strategy designed to establish Greater Springfield as the world’s greenest city by 2038.

Speaking from Singapore, ENGIE’s Asia-Pacific President Paul Maguire said: “We are proud to be delivering the road map in partnership with Springfield City Group.

“ENGIE and Tractebel are uniquely positioned to build tailored strategies that optimise and operationalise the value of a customer’s assets and provide financial options, engineering expertise and operational excellence”.

In line with the strategic plan, infrastructure work has already started in Greater Springfield, where more a third of the third of the city’s homes already have rooftop solar units. Major buildings including the Orion Shopping Centre and the Springfield Tower have also had panels installed.

The installation of EV charging stations is also underway and will put Springfield among the first urban areas in the country equipped to handle large-scale EV adoption.

The action plan – which will be reviewed every two to three years - outlines five key pillars:

• Urban – Maintaining 30% green space; developing urban agriculture and green transport routes

• Mobility – Reduction from 1.98 to 0.8 cars per household while ramping up EV charging infrastructure to enable accelerated EV adoption; creating sustainable last-mile solutions (e.g. electric scooters and bicycles); transitioning to hydrogen buses and developing shared transport solutions

• Buildings – Using bioclimatic design, solar protection, and district cooling; delivering public education programs on efficiency

• Energy – Establishing 100% local renewable share; putting solar panels on all available rooftops; developing hydrogen refueling; implementing energy storage, and

• Digital – Becoming a world leader in innovative and smart city solutions.

More information is available at https://www.greaterspringfield. com.au/engie-springfield-citypublish-australias-first-zeronet-energy-road-map

Springfield City Group Chairman Maha Sinnathamby