– You let go of the constant pressure all the time, says excavator driver in Veinor, Thomas Johansen. At the construction site in Sjøgata in the center of Bodø, only electric excavators are allowed to work. The municipality has in fact committed itself to all new facilities in the city being emission-free from 2025. And they are already underway. Excavator driver Thomas Johansen says an electric excavator is just like a regular one. It just makes less noise. Photo: Bente H. Johansen / news This is the first emission-free construction area in Nordland. – We know that our planet needs us to think much more about it than we have done until now. Managing to reduce emissions on construction sites is very important in the work with the green shift, says the mayor of Bodø municipality Ida Maria Pinnerød (Ap). Oslo has come the farthest The building and construction industry in Norway accounts for 3.4 per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions. That’s according to researcher at Sintef, Marianne Kjendseth Wiik. – It is important to take responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, also from the construction industry, if we are to achieve national and international climate targets. Almost 95% of greenhouse gas emissions in the construction phase come from diesel-powered construction machinery and heavy transport, according to Sintef. Emission-free construction site The construction and construction industry in Norway accounts for a large part of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the country. An emission-free construction site has no direct greenhouse gas emissions from its construction activities. For example, it can be about the use of construction machinery, heating and drying, transport of construction materials, materials, personnel, waste and construction machinery to and from the construction site, waste management, landfill and storage of construction materials and equipment. Source: Sintef Oslo municipality are the ones who have come the furthest in the work with a greener building site, according to Wiik. In 2021, they had around 30 emission-free building and construction sites. – Such construction sites also lead to better air quality and less noise, says Wiik. – Realizes that the restructuring is coming. There is an interest in becoming more sustainable in the industry. The same is the willingness to invest, says Arne Presterud, union secretary of the Norwegian Workers’ Union. – The industry seems to realize that this change is coming. Entrepreneurs work well with sustainability and are interested in investing in green development. But there is a higher cost of electric machines and a challenge with charging and capacity, he says. – Large contractors probably have greater financial muscle to manage the transition, the challenge is probably greater for smaller contractors. Expensive with an electric excavator It is a little more expensive with a plant without diesel machines, but there are also government subsidies that can be applied for. In the construction project in Bodø, additional costs for the electrification amount to NOK 9.5 million, writes Bodø municipality. This is approximately 10 per cent of the total cost framework. – We are not using this for tolls, it is the municipality’s and the state’s subsidies that cover it, says project manager of Bypakke Bodø, Truls Eirik Moan. The state covers half of the additional costs, and the municipality contributes the remaining half through its climate budget. It is the company Veinor that has tendered for the job, and project manager Robin Edvardsen says that they are renting the two electric excavators, and also have plans to invest in an electric truck. Project manager in Veinor, Robin Edvardsen says that they must contribute where they can. Photo: Bente H. Johansen / news – The municipality makes demands for this and the planet needs help. Even though we are small in the big picture, we have to contribute where we can. Adviser for green workplaces in Bodø municipality, Espen Kringlen wants more entrepreneurs to do as Veinor does. – We need to find ways to encourage them to invest in green machines, in greener transport solutions and we need to encourage them to become better at recycling, he says and adds: – We rely on absolutely fine stone material, so it is important that we do not deposit it and buy new ones.
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First emission-free construction area in Nordland – news Nordland
