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Charting a Course to Net Zero: Thames Freeport's Path to Sustainable Operations

29 November 2024

Thames Freeport is a unique initiative designed to stimulate trade and innovation and transform the lives of people in its region, leveraging global connectivity to over 130 ports in 65 countries. Occupying a strategic position with intermodal capabilities across river, rail, and road, Thames Freeport has recognised its opportunity to achieve social good, and has demonstrated an active commitment to advancing decarbonisation and fostering a circular economy. Thames Freeport is emerging as a hub for clean energy technologies, advanced logistics, and value-added manufacturing.


Special Economic Zones (SEZs) such as the Thames Freeport are uniquely positioned to drive decarbonisation. By clustering industries and research institutions, SEZs enable collaboration on sustainable practices and green technology development. This concentration accelerates the adoption of renewable energy sources, smart grids, and circular economy practices.



The Thames Freeport: A Model for Green Transformation


The Thames Freeport is a great example of how an SEZ can lead decarbonisation efforts, aligning economic growth with environmental sustainability. To progress these activities, Thames Freeport has engaged edenseven, a part of the Cambridge Management Consulting group, renowned for developing and delivering successful data-driven sustainability strategies.


Recently, edenseven analysed and reported on the progress being made by the FTSE 250 companies toward net zero, and collated recommendations based on areas for improvement in those companies. Thames Freeport’s own journey to decarbonisation is aligned with these recommendations, actively pursuing strategies to achieve net-zero across all three scopes of carbon emissions.


Thames Freeport is establishing a clear emissions baseline through a comprehensive carbon accounting and management system. Such platforms provide insights for compliance and strategy formulation, enabling organisations to model emissions trajectories, and adapt project parameters for maximum impact.


Equipped with this knowledge, Scope 1 emissions, primarily diesel emissions within the port’s boundaries, are a key focus for Thames Freeport, as advised by edenseven’s recommendations. The Freeport is implementing programs to register all assets and integrate GPS vehicle tracking technology for detailed asset utilisation analysis. This data-driven approach will inform an effective electrification strategy, leading to cost savings for existing businesses and creating a foundation for low-carbon solutions for new entrants.


However, as Scope 1 emissions are addressed through electrification, the demand of electricity will raise the focus on Scope 2 which involves electricity usage. To meet these needs, Thames Freeport is leveraging its renewable energy assets and creating an energy model to analyse power and capacity requirements. This model will guide innovative energy sourcing, including corporate power purchase agreements, on-site generation, load balancing, and energy storage solutions, such as vehicle battery integration.


Scope 3 emissions which are indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in a supply chain but not necessarily produced by the company itself is often the largest proportion of emissions for organisations, are a critical focus. The edenseven FTSE 250 report identified that 86% of emissions from FTSE 250 companies are associated with Scope 3.


In line with edenseven’s recommendations, Thames Freeport is helping businesses to detail their supply chain emissions using edenseven’s Supplier Emissions Reduction Approach (SERA). Additionally, the Freeport is analysing logistics and broader transportation impacts, including employee commuting, with the support of advanced technologies such as a 5G network. These insights will enable the development of a comprehensive decarbonisation strategy for transportation.


By enabling the consolidation of supply chains and reducing transportation distances, the Freeport minimises carbon emissions associated with freight. The location of London Gateway and Port of Tilbury, for instance, reduces the need for road transportation, cutting fuel use and emissions.

Beyond businesses, the Thames Freeport focuses on creating a sustainable future for the local community. Investments in green jobs and skills development will empower residents to participate in the decarbonisation journey.


These actions demonstrate Thames Freeport’s proactive intent to make significant strides toward net zero. With plans to continue this momentum into 2025, Thames Freeport, Cambridge Management Consulting’s, and edenseven’s combined expertise in port management, innovation, and sustainability is attracting forward-thinking businesses, driving economic growth, creating high-quality jobs, and delivering environmental benefits. This integrated approach positions Thames Freeport as a leader in sustainable industrial development, setting a benchmark for decarbonisation and circular economy practices.


Special Economic Zones like the Thames Freeport are vital in driving decarbonisation. By serving as hubs for green innovation, they catalyse sustainable development and align economic growth with climate goals. Thames Freeport exemplifies this potential by integrating low-carbon practices, fostering green industries, and contributing to the UK’s ambition for a net-zero economy. Through its leadership in sustainable logistics and community-focused initiatives, the Thames Freeport is a beacon for how SEZs can transform areas into low-carbon, thriving regions.

Sunset sky with distant electricity pylons and text

Britain's Electricity Generation - Annual Review

by Doug Mccauley • 16 January 2025
A review of Britain's electricity generation over the past four years, including the contributing energy sources, carbon intensity, proportion of zero-carbon sources and further insights.
Electricity pylon against cloudy sky with snow-covered ground

National Grid ESO Analysis - December 2024

by Doug Mccauley • 10 January 2025
In December 2024, wind energy accounted for the highest proportion of Britain’s electricity mix among all energy types, contributing 39%. Gas contributed 29%, which was a 3% increase from December 2023. Although wind's contribution was higher than in December 2021 and 2022, it was 2% below the 41% recorded in December 2023. Imports reached their highest level for December in the past four years, supplying 10% of Britain’s electricity mix, which is 3% more than in December 2023. Contributions from biomass, hydro, solar and storage remained stable compared to December 2023, providing 6%, 3%, 1% and 1%, respectively. Nuclear energy saw a 2% decrease in its contributions, delivering 12% of the mix in December 2024, the lowest level for December in the past four years. Coal contributed 0% after its phaseout from Britain's electricity generation in September of the previous year. Zero-carbon sources comprised 56% of Britain's electricity generation, marking the second highest level for December in the last four years; however, 4% lower than for December in the previous year. Despite this decline, the rolling 12-month average for zero-carbon sources was 51%, the highest of the last four years. The carbon intensity of electricity generation in December 2024 was 126 gCO₂/kWh, representing a 3% increase compared to December of the previous year. However, the rolling 12-month average was 125 gCO₂/kWh, indicating a 17% reduction compared to the previous 12-months and the lowest level in four years, reflecting ongoing decarbonisation efforts. Increasing electricity generation from renewable sources is essential for achieving our net-zero goals, ensuring energy security, and reducing reliance on imports.
Electricity pylon in a woodland in mist

National Grid ESO Analysis - November 2024

by Doug Mccauley • 16 December 2024
In November 2024, gas was Britain's primary electricity source, accounting for 38% of the mix, a 7% increase from November 2023. Wind energy contributed 27%, 4% lower than the previous year, marking its lowest November share in four years. Nuclear, biomass, solar, and hydro maintained their contributions from 2023 at 12%, 7%, 2%, and 2%, respectively. Nuclear's share was 4% below November 2021, the lowest in four years. Coal contributed 0% after the closure of the last coal-fired power plant, Ratcliffe, in September, while imports provided 11%, the second-highest November level in four years. Zero-carbon sources made up 42% of Britain's electricity generation, the lowest for November in four years and 5% lower than last year. However, the rolling 12-month average for zero-carbon sources is 51%, the highest in the same period. The carbon intensity of electricity generation in November 2024 was 171 gCO₂/kWh, an increase of 6% from November in the previous year. The rolling 12-month average dropped to 124 gCO₂/kWh, marking a 21% reduction and the lowest level in four years, reflecting ongoing decarbonization efforts. Increasing the electricity generation from renewable sources can help achieve our net-zero ambitions, ensure energy security, and decrease reliance on imports.
Warehouses against cloudy sky at sunset

Mawdsleys signs long-term agreement to use cero.earth

by Doug Mccauley • 13 December 2024
Mawdsleys signs a long-term agreement to use edenseven’s market-leading carbon reporting and management platform, cero.earth, to monitor all emissions and programmes of work to reach net zero . Mawdsleys is the UK’s largest independent pharmaceutical distributor. Established nearly 200 years ago, they have a fast-growing international network supplying medicines to meet patient needs and providing a route to market for manufacturers. Mawdsleys has signed a long term agreement with edenseven to use their carbon accounting and management platform, cero.earth. Built by edenseven, cero.earth is a cloud-based carbon accounting and management platform that provides businesses with a complete view of their emissions and decarbonisation plan. Using a dynamic view of all three emissions scopes, cero.earth provides a clear understanding of the current position against net zero targets and allows for the proactive monitoring of both current and planned projects. With a need to monitor and decarbonise operations at pace, Mawdsleys will leverage cero.earth to assess their current sustainability targets and produce a dynamic delivery plan to eradicate emissions permanently from their supply chain. Pete Nisbet, Managing Partner of edenseven, said: “We continue to evolve cero.earth to make sure we are providing our customers with the tools to dynamically monitor their decarbonisation programmes in a clear and practical manner. We are very excited to be working with Mawdsleys and are certain that, by embedding cero.earth into their net zero deliver plan, we can collectively make significant quantifiable environmental and financial gains.” William Sanders, CEO of Mawdsleys, commented; “Mawdsleys are leading the way in our sector, working towards net zero. Investment into thousands of solar panels and cutting edge battery storage technology, as well as operating electric vehicles, up to and including an HGV, makes edenseven the perfect partner to assist monitoring our decarbonisation plans. Mawdsleys are a key part of the healthcare system, delivering critical medicines to hospitals every day, so utilising cero.earth will help us maintain and enhance our position in the NHS Evergreen benchmarking assessment.” 
Wind turbine against blue sky with the text

Renewable energy analysis headline figures Q3 - 2024 - UPDATE

by Doug Mccauley • 26 November 2024
edenseven are following trends in the renewable energy sector closely, as decarbonising the energy sector is vital for ensuring a sustainable future and achieving Net Zero. Considering the recent DESNZ quarterly update of the renewable energy planning database, we have produced a consolidated summary of projects in the United Kingdom that have received planning permission. We will continue to release updates each quarter. INSIGHT In the past 12 months, the UK granted planning permission for 668 solar PV projects, which will deliver over 3,800 MW of energy capacity. This represents the second-highest number of solar projects approved in a year on a quarterly rolling basis. Additionally, these projects will provide the third-highest energy capacity for Solar PV granted planning permission in the UK in the last 15 years. However, this capacity is 20% lower than that of the 994 projects approved in the preceding year. During the same period, the number of onshore wind projects granted planning permission in the UK increased by 50%, while the number of approved offshore wind projects remained stable compared to the prior 12 months. When considering all solar PV, onshore, and offshore wind projects, granted planning permission in the UK over the past 12 months, the total energy capacity declined by 36% compared to the prior 12 months. Offshore wind saw the sharpest decline, with energy capacity from approved projects falling by 62%, while onshore wind also decreased significantly. Despite the total decline, the average energy capacity of approved solar PV projects rose by 20% year-on-year, highlighting an increase in the size of solar PV projects receiving planning permission in the UK. In contrast, both onshore and offshore wind projects experienced declines in average project capacity—down 51% and 62%, respectively.
Pylons against sky at sunset with text

National Grid ESO Analysis - October 2024

by Doug Mccauley • 18 November 2024
In October 2024, wind was the leading source of electricity generation in Britain, accounting for 31% of the electricity mix. Despite this, wind’s contribution was the lowest for any October in the past four years, down 3% from October 2023 and 5% from October 2022. Gas followed closely, contributing 30% to the electricity mix, which, while its second-lowest for October in the past four years, was still 3% higher than in October 2023. Biomass contributions increased by 2%, reaching 8% of the mix, the highest for October in the past four years. Solar energy provided 4% of the mix, up 1% from October 2023. Nuclear and hydro both saw a 1% decrease in their contributions, delivering 13% and 2% of the electricity mix, respectively. Imports remained steady, contributing 11%, the same as in October 2023. October 2024 was notable for having zero coal in Britain’s electricity generation, following the closure of the Ratcliffe power plant, the UK’s last coal-fired station. This is a significant achievement, considering coal has provided electricity in the UK for over 140 years and accounted for nearly 40% of the UK’s electricity generation in 2012. Zero-carbon sources made up 51% of Britain’s electricity generation in October 2024, the lowest for any October in the past four years, but only 1% below the rolling 12-month average of 52%. The carbon intensity of electricity generation in October 2024 was 138gCO₂/kWh, consistent with October 2023. The rolling 12-month average carbon intensity of 123gCO₂/kWh is 22% lower than the previous 12-month period, marking the lowest level in the past four years as the grid continues to decarbonise. Increasing the electricity generation from renewable sources can help achieve our net-zero ambitions, ensure energy security, and decrease reliance on imports.
Business people walking around outside corporate buildings

Press Release - Are Businesses Ignoring the Climate Crisis?

by Doug Mccauley • 4 November 2024
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3 November 2024 New Report Highlights “Alarmingly Poor” Response of FTSE250 Companies to Climate Crisis 7% rise in carbon emissions as business growth outpaced effective environmental action 41% of businesses do not have a net zero target date 20% of businesses failing to report Scope 3 emissions Average net zero target date extended by 13 months
Pylons in a field at sunset, with text

National Grid ESO Analysis - September 2024

by Doug Mccauley • 17 October 2024
In September 2024, wind energy was the primary source of Britain’s electricity generation, accounting for 26% of the energy mix, which was its highest contribution for September in the past four years. Gas was the second most prominent source, making up a quarter of the mix, marking its lowest contribution in the past four years and an 8% decrease compared to its contribution in September of the previous year. Nuclear power supplied 16% of Britain’s electricity, which was 1% lower than its contribution in September of the previous year. Both biomass and imports saw a 4% increase in their proportions in Britain’s electricity mix, with biomass contributing 8% and imports delivering 15%, marking the highest contributions of their respective fuel types in the past four years. Coal made its lowest contribution for September in the past four years, accounting for less than 1% of Britain’s electricity mix. Hydro and storage maintained consistent contributions compared to September of the previous year, making up 2% and 1% of the mix, respectively. Zero carbon sources contributed to half of Britain’s electricity in September 2024, marking its highest contribution for September in the past four years and a 1% increase compared to its contribution in September of the previous year. This led to the lowest carbon intensity for September in the past four years, with a 23% decrease compared to the carbon intensity for September 2023. Furthermore, the rolling 12-month average carbon intensity of 123 CO₂/kWh is currently 22% lower than the previous 12-month period, remaining the lowest of the past four years as the grid continues to decarbonise. Increasing the electricity generation from renewable sources can help achieve our net-zero ambitions, ensure energy security, and decrease reliance on imports.
Wind turbine against a blue sky, with the text

Renewable energy analysis headline figures Q2 - 2024 - UPDATE

by Doug Mccauley • 25 September 2024
edenseven are following trends in the renewable energy sector closely, as decarbonising the energy sector is vital for ensuring a sustainable future and achieving Net Zero. Considering the recent DESNZ quarterly update of the renewable energy planning database, we have produced a consolidated summary of projects in the United Kingdom that have received planning permission. We will continue to release updates each quarter. INSIGHT In the last 12 months, the UK approved the second-highest number of Solar PV projects in the past 14 years, with over 3,500 MW of energy capacity to be delivered. This marks the second-highest capacity in 14 years. The UK has granted permission for over 9,000 MW of energy capacity from solar, onshore, and offshore wind projects in the past 12 months, marking the third-highest capacity for any 12-month period in the last 14 years. While the average energy capacity (MW) of the solar PV projects granted planning permission in the UK remained the same as the previous 12 months and onshore wind decreased by 6%, the average energy capacity of offshore wind projects granted planning permission has significantly increased compared to the last 12-month period but remains considerably below its peak.
Pylons in a field with text 'NATIONAL GRID ESO ANALYSIS AUGUST 2024'

National Grid ESO Analysis - August 2024

by Doug Mccauley • 17 September 2024
In August 2024, wind energy was the main source of Britain’s electricity generation, providing 32% of the energy mix, its highest contribution for August in the previous four years. Conversely, gas decreased by 18% compared to August 2023, supplying 17% of the mix, roughly half that of wind and its lowest contribution for August in the last four years. Nuclear outpaced gas, delivering 18% of Britain’s electricity mix, up 3% from August 2023 and the highest contribution from nuclear for any month since June 2022. Biomass saw a 3% increase compared with August 2023, delivering 7% of the electricity mix. Solar, hydro, imports, and storage each contributed 1% more than in August 2023, delivering 8%, 2%, 14%, and 2%. Contributions from coal decreased by 1% compared to August 2023, making up less than 1% of the mix. Of the electricity generated in August 2024, 60% came from renewable zero-carbon sources, up 13% compared to August last year and the highest zero-carbon contribution since at least 2020. The carbon intensity for Britain’s electricity generation for August 2024, at 83gCO₂/kWh, is 48% lower than for August 2023 and the lowest for any one month since at least 2020. The rolling 12-month average carbon intensity remains significantly lower than the previous 12-month period at 126gCO₂/kWh. The rolling 12-month average proportion of electricity delivered by zero-carbon sources is the highest of the previous four years at 52%, 3% higher than the previous 12-month period. Increasing the electricity generation from renewable sources can help achieve our net-zero ambitions, ensure energy security, and decrease reliance on imports.
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