Organizers of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix (SGP) have announced an ambitious plan to halve the energy emissions generated by the event by 2028. Last year, the event generated approximately 2,372 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, including emissions from stage construction and dismantling. The energy component was the largest contributor, accounting for 96.1% of total emissions, with the remaining 3.9% coming from transportation, waste and water use.
Sasha Rafi, SGP's Director of Sustainability, explained that while the event has been implementing sustainability measures since its debut in 2008, technological developments and current best practices provide an opportunity to enhance its sustainability efforts.
One of the key aspects of the organizers' plan is to replace the use of diesel fuel with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). SGP has set a goal of using this alternative fuel in half of the generators in the circuit park by 2025, and plans to replace all generators with this fuel by 2028. The conversion is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 52% when fully implemented.
This announcement is in response to the zero carbon target set by F1 in 2019, to be achieved by 2030. The series' sustainability initiatives cover not only the cars, but also the activities on the track and surrounding operations.
As part of this plan, F1 is committed to making all of its events sustainable by 2025 through measures such as eliminating the use of single-use plastics and ensuring that all waste is managed through reuse, recycling or composting.
Earlier this year, the Singapore Tourism Board installed solar panels on the pit building, which are estimated to generate enough electricity to power the pit building for an entire month.
They also replaced the lights on the racetrack with more energy-efficient LED lights, reducing power consumption by at least 30%. Organizers also noted that the use of solar-powered toilets will save approximately 130,000 liters of water over the three days of the event.
All of these measures demonstrate the organizers' strong commitment to reducing the environmental impact of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix. This year's event takes place this weekend, September 15-17.
