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Dive Summary:
- As sustainability becomes an increasingly important focus for the construction industry, New York-based Turner Construction is in the midst of several initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint and electrify its equipment, the company said in a May 16 press release.
- The company has set a goal of net zero emissions by 2040 and has implemented several initiatives to get there, including measures to fully electrify its vehicle fleet by 2028.
- Other efforts include using a wide range of low-emission equipment in a data center project. testing a variety of electric and hybrid heavy equipment on various jobs; and launching zero-carbon cement at an unnamed facility in Boston.
Dive Insight:
In the data center project, the use of electric and hybrid equipment resulted in fuel and electricity savings, per version. Turner saw a 27% reduction in carbon emissions, with electric temporary heating and savings of up to 100% for all-electric equipment. In addition, using a propane generator saved 33% in energy savings compared to diesel equipment.
“We estimate that this pilot avoided more than 100,000 gallons of diesel and 12,000 gallons of gasoline in 2023 alone,” said Mike Bahr, director of sustainability at Turner, the largest commercial contractor by revenue in the country. He said the benefits go beyond simply reducing fuel consumption and emissions to creating a healthier workplace for workers.
“Electric and hybrid equipment vibrates less than diesel and is therefore easier on operators, and exhaust pollution on the construction site is eliminated or reduced, which is a big benefit to worker health,” Bahr said.
Last year, the company announced used a Volvo EC 230 electric excavator on a light manufacturing retrofit project for semiconductor giant Applied Materials in Northern California, along with a Moxion battery energy storage solution to ensure sufficient power on the job.
At the front of the vehicle, Turner has developed an all-electric skid-track system Gateway Project at the University of California-Berkeleyand recently took delivery of ten all-electric pickup trucks in Alabama, per version, toward its 2028 fleet goal.
“The company is working with many EV manufacturers to update its fleet nationwide,” said Emily Rogers, Turner’s director of business development.
Turner isn’t the only major manufacturer experimenting with electrification. On February, Skanska launched an electric compressor. It deployed Windhagen, Germany-based Wirtgen Group’s HAMM HD 12e VV, on the Los Angeles Metro’s $9.5 billion Purple Transit (D Line) expansion project.