Salvador Bahia Airport – part of the Vinci Airports network – has been honoured with level 2 of Airport Council International’s (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) certification.

The accolade rewards the airport’s efforts to reduce it carbon emissions through various projects.

These include improvements to the air conditioning system; installing smart devices such as sensors on stairs, elevators and toilets; and replacing conventional lamps with LED alternatives to reduce 134 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

SOLAR PLANT: 30% SLASH IN EMISSIONS

Additionally, the airport is investing approximately R$16m/US$3.9m in installing a solar polar plant. The operator claims it is the first airport in the country to utilise such equipment to supply energy to the terminal, which will begin benefiting from the technology in the second half of February.

It will be comprised of 11,000 solar panels and generate an installed capacity of 4,215 KWp for an annual production of 6,300,000 KWh.

On a monthly basis, the plant will be able to produce 550,000KWh of electricity, accounting for 32% of the terminal’s current consumption needs.

When fully operational, the plant is tipped to reduce the airport’s carbon footprint by 30%, saving an extra 690 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Salvador Bahia’s environmental credentials are already well noted, having achieved ‘green airport’ status during the Airport Council International of Latin America and Caribbean (ACI-LAC) annual conference in October.

This was in aid of its energy efficiency work and wildlife risk management.

Vinci Airports says Salvador Bahia is the second airport in Brazil to achieve ACA level 1 certification.

A statement read: “The sustainability actions implemented at the airport are in line with Vinci Airports’ environmental policy, AIRPact, which establishes global targets by 2030 such as halving the carbon footprint while obtaining ACA certification by all the group’s airports in the world, halving water consumption, implementing of the circular economy based on the reduction of waste production, segregation of waste generated and subsequent recycling.”

Vinci Airports operates Salvador Bahia Airport under a 30-year concession agreement with Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil won in 2017.