Bjørn Åsen, who is general manager of Tronfjell Maskin in Alvdal, believes that the contractors can manage to switch from fossil fuel-powered construction machines to electric ones. Today, the construction industry accounts for around 4.5 per cent of Norway’s greenhouse gas emissions in energy use, according to a report commissioned by the Norwegian Environment Agency. The emissions come primarily from the use of fossil fuels in transport and operation of construction machinery. It may be prohibited to buy construction machinery that runs on fossil fuel from 2035. – The contractors can do it – if all other things are in place. It is important that everyone plays as a team to make it happen, says Åsen. Bjørn Åsen, general manager of Tronfjell Maskin believes that the industry should be able to switch to electric machines if the conditions are made right for it. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news Norway’s climate target for emissions: Through the Paris Agreement, Norway undertakes to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 55 percent by 2030 compared to the level in 1990. Norway must be climate neutral by 2030. Norway has legislated a goal to become a low-emission society in 2050. Source: Norwegian Environment Agency Concerned about finances and safety – I see some challenges. That’s what Aud Hove says, who is a county politician for the Center Party in Innlandet. She thinks it is a good intention, but is unsure whether it is feasible. Hove fears that electrification could affect both safety and the economy. – We have examples of plow trucks that have been running non-stop for 15 days. When the blizzards fly around our ears, the plows have to go, she says. It is important both for safety and the economy, she believes. Aud Hove, who is a county politician for the Center Party in the Interior, is concerned that electrification will go beyond the economy and security. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news – During the extreme weather “Hans”, the excavators were out in the river and could not have driven out to charge. They had to stand there to secure the yard and land, says Hove. She is worried that electrification of the machine park means that more machines are needed to get the same job done, because it takes longer to charge than to fill the tank with diesel. – The contractors cannot pick up the bill and this comes up again in the tender rounds. It will be much more expensive, says Hove. In several municipalities, they are testing emission-free construction sites. Bodø municipality has signed that all new facilities in the city must be emission-free from 2025. Norway has committed to cutting emissions through the Climate Act. The goal is to reduce climate emissions by 90-95% by 2050. These are the goals in the Paris Agreement Under the Paris Agreement from 2015, the world’s nations have committed to cutting emissions and thus limiting global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees, and preferably 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial times . Global warming was 1.14 degrees on average between 2013 and 2022, so there is not much wiggle room left. If we are to reach the final target of 1.5 degrees, we must cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent compared to 2019, when we released a total of 55 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents. The climate gases we must cut are mainly CO₂, but also, for example, methane (CH4), which is a common product of agriculture. But instead of declining, global emissions appear to have remained stable or increased in recent years. In 2022, we released 58 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, more than ever before. The Paris Agreement’s goal is for this increase to stop before 2025. Sources: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Research article: Indicators for climate change in 2022 (Earth System Science Data, Copernicus), Tracking emissions by country and sector (Brookings, November 2022). State money for transition – The whole of society must transition to zero emissions by 2050. It is a cost that we must share, says Ragnhild Sjoner Syrstad (Ap), State Secretary of the Ministry of Climate and the Environment. She assures that the State will help with investment support during a transition period. Ragnhild Sjoner Syrstad (Ap) is state secretary at the Ministry of Climate and the Environment. She says that the industry will receive investment support during a transition period. Photo: The Labor Party – Eventually, it will become profitable for the private sector to undertake this themselves, when the technology and infrastructure are in place, she says. Syrstad says that just over 200 million has already been spent to make the construction industry more climate-friendly, through funds from Enova. It has largely gone towards the purchase of construction machinery and mobile charging stations. – We will investigate a ban on the purchase of new construction machinery that runs on fossil fuel in 2035, says Syrstad. This winter, the first electric plows will be tested. Among other things, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration will test plowing with an electric truck on the E6 above Dovrefjell. – Everyone must think alike Bjørn Åsen believes that there must be clear framework conditions. The authorities and the clients must provide a clear plan for how this transition will take place, he believes. – If we create a strategy to become good at emission-free machines and vehicles, then it is not useful to do it for one project, but it must apply to all projects in the future, so that an investment is both sustainable and profitable. He believes that the contractors must be paid for the work they do and the costs they incur, and that it is the customer who ends up footing the bill. Åsen believes that we are a long way from an emissions-free industry today. – Now it is random how clients choose to lay out their procurement strategy. It happens that we as contractors have to answer for our CO₂ emissions, but here most people have a long way to go. He believes that everyone must work together to reach the goal of zero emissions. – We get the first machine on the day our customers are very clear that this is the tool we will produce with, and it must be much clearer than it is today, says Åsen. New target for emission reductions 193 member countries of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) last week agreed on a target for emission reductions: With the help of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel), LCAF (Low Carbon Fuels) and other clean forms of energy, aviation must cut CO2 – emissions by 5 percent in 2030. – We would like the target to be even clearer and higher, and that there had been an agreement on quantitative targets for the use of SAF also in 2050. But this agreement is an important step on the way to fossil-free aviation, says Ingvild Kilen Rørholt, responsible for transport in ZERO. She adds: – Norway should now follow up by investing in increased involvement of SAF in its own aviation and stronger tools for its own production of SAF. Norway should also contribute to ensuring that other countries can, in a sustainable way, contribute to the entire value chain for SAF production. – Important, but cuts in production are more important. The Nature Conservancy believes it is important that the construction industry also switches to electric machines. – But life-cycle analyzes show that it is even more important to focus on reducing emissions and other environmental impact from the production of materials such as steel, concrete and asphalt, says Truls Gulowsen, head of the Nature Conservation Association. Truls Gulowsen, head of the Nature Conservation Association, believes it is important to cut emissions in the construction industry. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news The construction industry accounts for 16 percent of Norway’s total greenhouse gas emissions, if one includes emissions for the production and transport of materials for use in construction and for construction work. He points out that land reduction as a result of construction projects has a lot to say for both the climate and natural diversity. – If new areas are used for, for example, roads, housing, commercial buildings and cabins, there will be large greenhouse gas emissions because carbon in the soil is converted to CO₂ and released, in addition to reducing the future uptake of CO₂, says Gulowsen.
ttn-69
Zero emissions for construction machinery by 2035 – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
