LYSAKER, NORWAY: TECO 2030 and infrastructure contractor Implenia Norway have been granted funding by the Norwegian state enterprise Enova to jointly develop and pilot hydrogen-powered solutions that will eliminate emissions at construction sites.

The support granted by Enova amounts to NOK 15.6 million and will be provided over a period of 2.5 years, from September 2021 until the end of December 2023.

“We are very grateful for the generous support from Enova and we are excited about our cooperation with Implenia on developing hydrogen fuel cells that will power the equipment used at construction sites,” says Tore Enger, CEO of TECO 2030 ASA.

“The construction of roads, tunnels, bridges and other transport infrastructure has until now largely relied on diesel as an energy source. By using hydrogen-based fuel cells instead of diesel generators, construction sites can eliminate their emissions and become more climate-friendly,” Enger says.

As part of the project, TECO 2030 will develop a fuel cell generator with a power production capacity of 0.8 MW, which can replace diesel generators on construction sites. The delivery of the fuel cell generator is planned for January 2023. Implenia Norway will support TECO 2030 with its construction experience and knowledge and will pilot the fuel cell generator on its construction sites.

Hydrogen fuel cells are the engines of tomorrow and convert hydrogen into electricity while emitting nothing but water vapour and warm air.

By switching to hydrogen fuel cells, applications that currently get their energy from diesel engines or diesel generators can use climate-friendly hydrogen instead of fossil fuels and become completely emissions-free. Furthermore, hydrogen fuel cells do not require a grid connection and will be just as mobile and flexible as a traditional diesel generator.

“This project will bring forward and demonstrate new and innovative technology that contributes to the realisation of emission-free building and construction sites,” says Tonje Foss, Vice President of Corporate Strategies at Enova.

Sustainability is not only one of Implenia’s corporate values. The group has also defined twelve sustainability goals to achieve until 2025, and fully supports the Norwegian government’s goal for fossil-free construction sites by 2025. The generous funding by Enova will enable Implenia and TECO 2030 to achieve this goal.

Audun Aaland, CEO of Implenia Norway, is looking forward to the cooperation with TECO 2030: “We believe that hydrogen will play a significant role as an energy carrier at future construction sites, and we are proud to have the opportunity to drive this sustainable innovation together with TECO 2030.”

Implenia Norway is a subsidiary of Implenia, a multinational construction and real estate provider with more than 8,500 employees that is headquartered in Switzerland. In Norway, Implenia is currently involved in a number of large infrastructure projects, including the planning and building of parts of a new metro line in Oslo known as “Fornebubanen”.