Pathways to fossil-fuel-free construction
Earlier this year, before the recent focus on energy security and fuel supply challenges, Environmental Manager Annie Day started to explore what a fossil-fuel-free construction site could look like.
The journey started with collecting data from our trade partners and collaborating with Massey University to analyse the results, with the data reviewed by Massey University Senior Lecturers Dr Fei Ying and Dr Mikael Boulic. The first report is now complete, and the findings have provided valuable insights into both the opportunities and challenges ahead.
To quote the report, “The findings suggest that the move toward fossil-fuel-free construction should not be understood simply as replacing one piece of equipment with another. While some equipment categories can be easily replaced with electric or battery-powered alternatives, other categories require broader changes to procurement, site planning, infrastructure, supplier relationships, and asset management. The transition is therefore best understood as a system-level change rather than a straightforward technology swap.”
This transition won’t happen alone. It will take collaboration across clients, contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and educators to help drive change across the industry.
Our next steps include working with Massey University students in the coming semester to investigate the questions that emerged during the data collection process and developing a practical pathway to delivering our first major project using fossil-fuel-free construction equipment. Watch this space!
