2- Transport Infrastructure Projects

The scenario
Two large transport infrastructure projects (Road and Rail) are to be analysed in
sustainability terms. The projects are broadly comparable, with the functional
equivalence being the movement of 8,000 people per day a distance of 20 km, for
every day of the year, for 30 years. For each project you have been given data on
capital expenditure (Capex) to establish the project and the annual operational
expenditure (Opex) of the projects.
A data sheet is provided. Download A data sheet is provided.
There are four spreadsheets in this workbook, one each for the capital expenditure
phase (capex) and operational expenditure phase (opex) of each scenario (road and
rail). These sheets hold a general ledger of expenditure ( $) that can be used as input
into the ECEtool. The also specify scope 1 emissions data in tonnes and electricity
consumption data in in peta joules which will allow you to calculate process based
(‘bottom up’) scope 2 emissions profile. Lastly, the spreadsheets include revenue
data.
Your task
Critically evaluate the impacts of the two projects over the 30 years. With justification
and explanation you can change the input data for any of the four data sets. Choose
the indicator ‘National Greenhouse Gas CO2 equivalent’ and at least one other
indicator provided in the ECE tool, and run the analysis to obtain figures and tables.
Noting that the ECE tool is designed to calculate the consumption based footprints,
that is Scope 3 emission, you should also consider the direct emissions (Scope 1) and
energy related emissions (Scope 2).
You should present total and separate results, graphs etc. Most importantly, you
should write a report which tells a credible “story” about the two projects, covering
opex and capex, for the two indicators. The style of the report might be that of a
high-level “scoping” study to be given to a State Government Minister. Consider
using appropriate references to support your story.
Like any quality analysis, you should consider:
• the inherent aims, goal and scope of the analysis;
• whether the input data and approach is adequate for these;
• allocation issues (such as the mapping of the project expenditures to the
IO categories); and
• whether your conclusions/outcomes are supported by the results.
You should choose and clearly state the point of view behind the analysis. For
example, you could be (but are not limited to):
• a state government department (e.g. roads or rail)
• a private infrastructure company
• a public interest, professional or consumer group (e.g. an environmental
group).