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Australian National University

Decarbonisation Masterplan

Australian National University – Decarbonisation Masterplan

A campus-wide shift from gas to renewables, setting a new benchmark for tertiary decarbonisation

Client: Australian National University

Location: Canberra, ACT / Ngunnawal Country

The Challenge

ANU committed to a bold ambition — to fully decarbonise operations by 2030 and become carbon negative soon after. This meant removing all fossil fuel infrastructure across the Acton campus, which houses over 200 buildings. The challenge was not only technical, but strategic: align campus-wide change with infrastructure limitations, heritage considerations, and a broader university masterplan.

Our Approach

Lucid was engaged as Lead Consultant to develop the Decarbonisation Masterplan — a campus-wide strategy to eliminate fossil fuel use, transition to renewable energy, and enable smarter thermal infrastructure.

We managed a multidisciplinary consultant team to ensure a holistic and coordinated approach, working closely with ANU stakeholders to balance bold sustainability targets with practical, buildable solutions.

Solutions

  • Masterplan to phase out all gas-fired heating across 200+ buildings
  • Design of five new central thermal hubs to serve as all-electric energy centres
  • Integration of water-cooled chillers and air-cooled electric heat pumps
  • Incorporation of renewable energy generation into new thermal networks
  • Strategic alignment with ANU’s broader campus development vision
  • Coordination of architecture, acoustics, heritage, environmental, planning, and services engineering within one consultant team

Outcomes

  • Enables ANU to meet 2030 decarbonisation and long-term carbon-negative goals
  • Eliminates dependence on fossil fuels for heating and thermal services
  • Activates underutilised areas of campus and supports future development
  • Delivers long-term operational savings and risk mitigation through energy transition
  • Establishes a model for tertiary sector decarbonisation at scale

Better World Impact

This project shows what it means to lead through infrastructure. By turning ambition into action, ANU’s decarbonisation masterplan — delivered by Lucid — sets a national precedent for how universities can align climate targets with practical, scalable engineering. A better world starts with reimagining the way we power our places of learning.

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