Van Oord opts for emission-free heavy equipment

November 9, 2022, by Zlatan Hrvacevic

The electrification of big machinery has long been a challenge. In 2020, Van Oord commissioned the Netherlands’ first all-electric 20-tonne excavator and more recently its first hybrid bulldozer.

The success of these machines has led Van Oord to invest in 4 electric excavators, 2 electric wheeled loaders and 8 battery packs to power the electrical equipment on site. The contracts with Pon Cat and Staad for the delivery of the machines have been signed.

The partnership between Van Oord and Pon Cat marks the next stage in the electrification of heavy earthmoving operations.

The new 35.5-tonne electric excavators are an entirely new model not yet available anywhere. The new CAT330 LRE Zline excavators are equipped with 422 kW net battery capacity.

“Van Oord is fully committed to reducing its carbon emissions and becoming carbon neutral by 2050. This takes guts, and it involves major investments. Every investment is part of our commitment to net-zero emissions and shows that we are anticipating what a growing number of clients want: to reduce emissions during project execution,” commented Robbert Jan van Zuiden, Manager Van Oord Grondstoffen.

The new DL280-7 wheeled loaders are supplied by Staad, have a weight of about 16 tonnes and feature a bucket that can hold 2.8 cubic metres of material. They are equipped with a fixed 400 kW battery. The 8 battery packs on order will ensure that the electric equipment can be powered during deployment on site.

Thanks to these investments, Van Oord is taking electrification of the construction site to the next level and reducing CO2 and NOx emissions during project execution. The investment represents more progress towards meeting Van Oord’s sustainability target and contributes to Rijkswaterstaat’s Zero Emission Construction Site 2030 programme.

The new equipment will be managed by Van Oord Grondstoffen. This Van Oord subsidiary is responsible for all activities related to earthmoving in the Netherlands and manages all dry earthmoving equipment.