Ballast Nedam Materieel well on its way to a carbon-neutral construction site

What sustainability investments have been made?

"We continue to invest in sustainable equipment and energy-efficient construction site equipment. Even here at the site in Almere, where trucks with equipment drive on and off, one of three electric trucks will soon be deployed," says Rik.

Boerzo adds: "Nowadays, we can monitor more and more things. For example, we did a comparison of energy used between the "old" and "new" unit. We can see that the heat pump in the unit consumes an average of 0.39 KWh, compared to the 0.98 KWh of the electric heater, over a 13-day period. This is an improvement of about 60%."

"Just under a year ago, we took delivery of our first 100% electric telescopic crane. And last summer, our project to replace all lighting for sustainable LED lighting was completed. All light poles have been fitted with LED lighting. The LED lighting provides the same amount of light but uses as much as 50% to 70% less energy. We are continuously taking stock of what other steps we can take in terms of sustainability. This year, for instance, we will also purchase electric vibrating plates and vibratory rammers. We are also investing in collecting information. The unique equipment will all have a QR-code. When scanning the code, you immediately see information about the equipment, the operating instructions and inspection certificates. But we also invest in knowledge. That is why we hired Boerzo to join us. Together, we are looking at the possibilities of having more data so that we can read the consumption, among other things", says Rik.

What are the developments in monitoring?

"A trend we are seeing is digitising systems and products so that they can communicate with each other. We too are looking at ways to make our equipment 'smart'. We have started a pilot where 36 mobile tools will be fitted with sensors. This will give us more detailed and up-to-date insight into energy and fuel consumption, wear, running hours (CO2 emissions), location and also driving behaviour and speed, among other things. This allows us to better manage our objectives and we use the data to optimise planning, preventive maintenance and insight into CO2 emissions", Boerzo says.

What is your biggest challenge?

"Our biggest challenge is still the electrification of the construction site, due to the overload of the power grid. To respond to this, it is necessary to think differently and look for new technologies and innovations. As a solution to this, we recently bought three 225kVA inverters and five 281kWh battery packs. This investment, combined with solar panels, allows us to use a smaller electricity connection on large construction sites," Boerzo said.

How do you decide what to invest in?

Rik: "In my 23 years at Ballast Nedam, I have learned that it is important to gather input from different sources. The market, but also from colleagues within all business units. In this way, we determine together where there is a need and with which investments we can make the most impact."