ULEMCo is delighted to be working with leading international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty on a major new project to retrofit several vehicles for use on the roads of Scotland. Part-funded by £240,000 from the Scottish Government, the project is planned to act as a model for more widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel in the construction industry.
The initial work will involve converting two road gritters, a traffic management vehicle and an impact protection vehicle to run on dual-fuel. Once retrofitted, the vehicles are expected to deliver a 40% reduction in carbon emissions from each of the four retrofitted vehicles, and these will be put to work on the Connect Roads M77/Glasgow Southern Orbital project.
Balfour Beatty regards the project as providing a blueprint for the conversion of all Balfour Beatty owned fleet in the future. In a press release, Hector MacAulay MBE, Balfour Beatty Regional Managing Director of Scotland, said: “Reducing emissions from plant on sites is a key challenge faced by the entire construction and infrastructure industry… Whilst electric solutions are starting to enter the market, they are not yet a realistic option for heavy plant. Dual fuel represents an alternative solution, and we are looking forward to seeing the benefits that this trial will deliver, as we look to develop a practical solution for our industry, alongside the Scottish Government.”
