Melbourne Airport is more than just a gateway; it’s a proving ground for sustainability innovation and modernising legacy infrastructure. AECOM partnered with Melbourne Airport to transform and decarbonise its existing infrastructure and deliver a future-ready thermal network that’s safer, more efficient, and climate-resilient.
Decarbonising legacy infrastructure
Melbourne Airport, Australia’s largest 24/7 international gateway, is leading the charge in climate-smart innovation by transforming its precinct heating infrastructure network into a high-performance, future-ready thermal system. This multi-phase decarbonisation journey demonstrates how legacy infrastructure can be reimagined to meet the demands of a net-zero carbon future.
From feasibility development, to data-driven system tuning and then detailed engineering design, we’ve helped Melbourne Airport begin successfully transitioning from a carbon-intensive, gas-based heating model to a resilient, net-zero emissions solution anchored by electric heat pump technology. The transformation continues with targeted upgrades that further reduce carbon intensity and support long-term growth.
Smart design, powered by data
In late 2022, we were engaged to develop a strategy and assess the feasibility of converting Melbourne Airport’s gas boiler-operated thermal plant to a net-zero carbon alternative, such as electricity or hydrogen. The study identified electric heat pump technology as the most viable solution on the condition that the thermal network’s operating temperature could be safely reduced from 165°C to approximately 85°C. This posed significant challenges, since heat pump systems are typically limited to producing hot water within this range, and the impact on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) performance was unknown, in addition to the limitations of the existing pipe network across the Terminals.
To validate the concept, we proposed and delivered a staged temperature-reduction strategy in collaboration with Melbourne Airport’s controls contractor, Airmaster. The objective was to pressure-test and tune the existing infrastructure in readiness for transition. Over two years, we progressively lowered the network temperature while monitoring space conditions and HVAC equipment performance. Using a novel PowerBI-based (a data visualisation and analytics platform) dashboard, integrated with the airport’s building management system, we conducted large-scale data analysis to guide tuning decisions and verify outcomes.
This phase demonstrated our commitment to quality through rigorous testing, stakeholder collaboration and precision in execution. Every adjustment was backed by evidence and aligned with performance expectations.
The results were transformative:
- Gas consumption dropped by 43 percent from the 2021–2022 baseline to the 2024 consumption.
- Carbon emissions and operational costs were significantly reduced.
- Safety improved, with lower-temperature water reducing compliance risks and enhancing construction and maintenance safety.
- The feasibility study hypothesis was confirmed — electric heat pumps could serve as the primary heating source.
Future-proof by design
Building on the success of the feasibility phase, we were re-engaged in late 2023 to deliver the detailed design of the new heat pump plant and supporting infrastructure. This included a complete electrical infrastructure upgrade to support the plant, powered by the airport’s green power network – including renewable generation from its significant solar farm – integrated with the airport’s 24/7 operations and enabling future scalability. The design exemplified quality, balancing innovation, cost-efficiency and long-term performance while maintaining the highest standards of safety and reliability.
We developed a two-stage heat pump system that recovers heat from the cooling network, capturing energy from communications rooms and processing cooling loads. Using actual peak load data from the building management system, we rightsized the plant to reduce capital investment by about 50 percent.
Rather than replacing all existing boilers, we retained newer units to provide redundancy and resilience during peak demand or extreme cold events. Embodied and operational carbon modelling further guided equipment selection and control strategies to minimise whole-of-life emissions.
To support long-term growth, we reconfigured mechanical and electrical infrastructure to align with the airport’s 2040 expansion plans. We also produced a detailed building information modelling (BIM) model to integrate existing and new plant assets, fully integrated into the airport’s digital twin and helping to de-risk construction in a live operational environment.
Sustainability that performs
In late 2024, we were engaged to address the further carbon-intensive components identified during the tuning phase, implementing further carbon-reducing initiatives.
What targeted upgrades further enhanced the performance and sustainability of the airport’s thermal network?
These enhancements solidified the transformation of Melbourne Airport’s heating infrastructure – from a high-carbon, 1960s-era system into a high-performance, climate-smart asset fit for the 2020s and beyond. Every step was guided by a commitment to quality, ensuring solutions were not only sustainable but also robust, scalable and built to last.
“Decarbonising gas heating is not easy, especially within a large international airport with a 24/7 operation. The heat pump solution required the conversion of a legacy high pressure / high delta T system to low pressure low delta T system which potentially required replacing 15 KM of steel distribution pipework, which was not practicable without shutting the system down for two years. AECOM’s data driven approach in collaboration with Airport Engineering confirmed the viability of the system conversion – quite simply this project was not possible without AECOM.”
Head of Engineering – Melbourne Airport