Case Study: Electric Concrete Pumping Vs Diesel Pumping

During the construction of the third and final tower at One Sydney Harbour, Lendlease piloted the use of electric machinery and equipment to understand the implications of switching from traditional diesel-powered machinery to electric equivalents.

The company, as part of its Absolute Zero Carbon by 2040 targets, aims to mitigate all greenhouse gas emissions produced to absolute zero, without the use of offsets.

During the construction of the 30-story tower, electric machinery and equipment used on the project included a concrete pump, two tower cranes, two hoists, elevated work platforms and a formwork hoist.

They then compared the findings with an equivalent diesel pump that was used on a neighbouring project.

Findings confirmed that:

•Electric concrete pumping uses 67.3% less energy than diesel concrete pumping.

•Electric concrete pumping produces 12.9% less emissions than diesel concrete pumping.

•Electric concrete pumping requires 59.1% less energy costs than diesel concrete pumping.

•Absolute zero electric concrete pumping through the use of renewable electricity is 50.8% cheaper than net zero diesel concrete pumping.

Analysis also established that employing an electric concrete pump results in reduced lifetime expenses compared to its diesel counterpart. This is attributed to similar initial purchase costs, along with lower operating, maintenance, and servicing expenses, despite factoring in infrastructure upgrades and considerations related to battery technology.

“We are working towards our goal of zero fossil fuels in our Australian construction activities,” Lendlease stated. “To achieve this, it is imperative that we prioritise using electric construction machinery and equipment and biofuels such as biodiesel and renewable diesel, where electric options are not available.”

This initiative on One Sydney Harbour has confirmed the findings of Lendlease into Fossil Fuel Free Construction and demonstrates that electrification of construction machinery and equipment is critical in achieving Absolute Zero emissions for all Scopes by 2040.

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