Overland Park, Kan.-based Black & Veatch and Beca Group Limited, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, have announced they are extending their collaborative approach to develop sustainable solutions in Australia and New Zealand.
The firms announced the extended Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Aug. 2, stating it "aligns with the intentions of the two nations to accelerate climate action by identifying shared economic opportunities to navigate a successful transition to net zero."
"Decarbonisation is remarkably complex yet imperative to mitigate climate impacts," the release states. "Achieving a net-zero energy future requires seamless and extensive integration of multiple technologies. With proper preparation, planning, and investment, progress can be achieved by utilities, energy producers, and other energy-intensive industrial and commercial organisations."
The MoA addresses the increasing demand for infrastructure that can adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change, according to the release. The expanded agreement includes collaboration on construction and engineering projects such as water and wastewater, renewable energy, electric vehicle charging, power transmission and distribution, and food and beverage facilities, and others, the release states.
“Australia and New Zealand enjoy abundant energy transformation opportunities, and well-planned investments in sustainable infrastructure can have significant environmental and economic impacts,” Narsingh Chaudhary, Black & Veatch president in Asia Pacific and India, said in the release. “Combining our global experience with Beca's strong local presence and experience in the Australasia region, we look forward to accelerating this journey and taking on technically challenging engineering projects to realize the region's decarbonization ambitions and modernize its infrastructure.”
The extended MoU supports commitments by Australia and New Zealand to speed their energy transformation by navigating the opportunities and challenges the transition to net zero presents to the economies of both countries and by identifying areas of cooperation, according to the release. The previous MoU, executed in 2019, focused on water and wastewater projects in New Zealand, the release reports.
“For more than five years we have been working together on industry-shaping water projects across Australia and New Zealand, including leading water entities such as Melbourne Water, Yarra Valley Water, and Wellington City Council,” Beca's Clive Rundle said in the release “We have forged a strong, collaborative relationship, born out of two organizations with similar values and complementary capabilities.
"The expansion of our partnership with Black & Veatch beyond the water sector is a natural progression that provides clients across Australia and New Zealand with unique globally informed experiences needed to solve the challenges they are facing now and in the future," Rundle said.