NBN advances net-zero target to 2045 with $3 billion fibre plan

NBN Co has brought forward its target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and across its value chain to 2045, accelerating a previous goal set for 2050.

The commitment, which has received validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), supersedes the target set by NBN Co in 2023 to reach net-zero by 2050 or earlier. The target applies to both the company's direct operations and its wider supply chain.

NBN Co's new, SBTi-validated long-term goals include maintaining at least a 95% reduction in absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between the 2030 and 2045 financial years, as compared to a 2021 base year. The company has also committed to reducing absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 90% within the same timeframe, also from a 2021 base year.

The company's new targets follow its 2023 commitment to near-term science-based targets, which were also validated by the SBTi. These include reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 95% by the 2030 financial year and reducing scope 3 GHG emissions from the use of sold products by 60% per device in the same period. Additionally, NBN Co aims for 80% of its suppliers by spend, covering purchased goods and services, capital goods, and downstream transportation and distribution, to have their own science-based targets by the 2027 financial year.

Stephen Smith, Executive General Manager, Safety, Wellbeing and Sustainability at NBN Co, said, "Our network spans the entire continent, carrying over 80% of the nation's data in support of more than 20 million people every day. nbn is committed to operating sustainably and enabling long-term social, economic and environmental value for customers and for the nation."

He continued, "We continue to make progress in reducing emissions throughout our business and supply chain, rolling out energy-efficient fibre connections across the nation, utilising renewable energy sources, deploying energy-efficient network termination devices, and partnering with our suppliers."

"Validation of our net-zero and long-term emissions reduction targets by the SBTi demonstrates our ongoing commitment and support to Australia's transition to net-zero by 2050."

To meet the updated 2045 target, NBN Co has devised a Climate Transition Plan that sets out specific energy efficiency, renewable energy, and carbon reduction actions. This includes a commitment for the company to purchase 100% of its electricity from renewable sources from December 2025, a target that is supported by its membership in the RE100, a global renewable electricity initiative.

NBN Co has already signed three Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to support this renewable energy target. Two of these PPAs, in New South Wales and Victoria, are operational, while a third is facilitating the creation of a solar farm at Munna Creek in Queensland, expected to become operational later this year.

The company is also working on a series of projects intended to reduce its annual energy use by 25 Gigawatt hours by December 2025. Key projects include upgrading 62 Points of Interconnect under the Aggregation Evolution programme using higher capacity and more energy-efficient technology, introducing energy-saving nodes at approximately 2,400 Fixed Wireless towers in rural and regional areas, and decommissioning legacy cable TV network equipment from NBN Co's Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) cable network.

Long-term, NBN Co sees the deployment of energy-efficient fibre as central to its strategy. The company is investing in fibre connections to meet current and future data demand and to provide a faster, more energy-efficient, and resilient network.

In January 2025, NBN Co announced its plan to upgrade the remaining Fibre to the Node network across Australia. This project is backed by an equity investment of up to $3 billion from the Australian Government, along with more than $800 million from NBN Co itself. Approximately 622,000 homes and businesses will benefit from this upgrade, with over half located in regional areas. It is projected that more than 95% of those premises will eventually have the option to upgrade to NBN full fibre via Fibre to the Premises, with further design work ongoing for the remainder.

The company's investment extends its existing network upgrade initiatives and aims to make NBN's fastest wholesale residential speeds available to more than 10 million households and businesses, representing around 90% of the fixed line network, by the end of 2025. Currently, more than 9 million homes and businesses have access to these speeds, with over 4 million now eligible to move to full fibre.

NBN Co highlighted that fibre connections not only deliver higher-speed services but are more energy-efficient and resilient compared to other network technologies because they require fewer active network components and are better equipped to withstand climate change and extreme weather events.