Shenzhen airport advances low-carbon transformation

How can a major transport hub turn ESG principles into concrete action? Attending an ESG subforum held as part of activities at Shenzhen National Low-Carbon City Forum, Hao Yuming, manager of the Operations Management Department (Board Office) of Shenzhen Airport Co., Ltd., shared the airport’s approach to integrating sustainability into its daily operations.

Hao Yuming

According to Hao, the distinctive features of Shenzhen airport’s ESG practices can be summed up as full life-cycle management, systematic action, smart management and collaboration.

Rather than focusing only on individual energy-saving upgrades, the airport has integrated ESG and green development into planning, construction, operations and management.

At the planning stage, the airport applies green-building and low-carbon principles to terminals, runways and supporting facilities. During operations, it uses environmental, energy and carbon-management systems to monitor and manage energy consumption, wastewater and emissions, solid waste, aircraft noise and carbon emissions.

Hao highlighted several key areas in the airport’s carbon-reduction efforts, including the airside area, terminal buildings and ground transportation.

On the airside, the airport has continued to promote aircraft APU replacement facilities to reduce fuel consumption and emissions while aircraft are parked at gates. It is also accelerating the transition to new-energy vehicles and expanding charging infrastructure.

Terminal buildings are another major area for energy efficiency. With large spaces and long operating hours for mechanical and electrical systems, terminals have significant energy demand, particularly for air conditioning and lighting. The airport has carried out energy-saving upgrades and smart controls to dynamically adjust equipment operation according to factors such as passenger flows and temperature, helping reduce unnecessary energy consumption.

Digitalization is also playing an increasingly important role.

Hao said the airport has been developing a smart energy and carbon management platform to collect and analyze data on water, electricity, cooling and other energy consumption in real time. The system helps identify opportunities for further energy savings and emissions reductions.

Hao also stressed the importance of transforming the airport’s energy structure. While equipment upgrades can reduce energy consumption from existing operations, deeper decarbonization requires a reduction in dependence on fossil fuels.

To this end, Shenzhen airport has been advancing distributed photovoltaic projects and increasing its use of green electricity, while using smart energy management to further optimize energy consumption.

Shenzhen airport is also working with airlines and companies operating on airport premises to promote coordinated green operations, including energy conservation, emissions reduction, waste sorting and ecological protection.