Everything must be free of fossils – E24

Oslo City Councilor Raymond Johansen (Labor Party) and City Councilor Arild Hermstad (MDG) meet E24 at a construction site in Tøyen in Oslo, wearing a helmet and safety shoes.

130 apartments are being built here for the so-called “dementia village”, and Becker Entreprenør is carrying out some of the work with an electric excavator.

Hermstad and Johansen will convey that the Oslo municipality is now tightening its control over the construction industry. Earlier this year, new figures showed that construction works generate higher emissions than previously thought.

The city council now requires fossil-free building sites and buildings in all new regulations, meaning private and state projects are also included.

In a few years, the requirements will be even more stringent. So construction sites must not only replace fossil energy with biofuels, they must be completely emission-free.

– What we have done today is to say that this will be the case in the future. There will now be a fossil free requirement and since then it will be emission free and will apply to everyone. That is the predictability we want to give to those who will build here in the city, says Hermstad.

The City Council will instruct the Urban Planning and Building Agency to establish these new requirements when new areas are to be regulated, based on the Pollution Control Law.

Until now, the requirement of fossil-free works has only been valid for projects of the municipality, not for private and state projects.

The City Council estimates that the measures will be able to reduce emissions from facilities by 43 percent by 2024.

Big projects underway

The requirements can help reduce emissions from upcoming giant projects, such as Fornebubanen, a new reserve water supply and a new NRK building.

There were 670,000 people in Oslo by the New Year 2018, and the population is expected to increase by 100,000 by 2030. Therefore, around 50,000 new homes will be built in the next decade.

At the same time, the Norwegian Environment Agency arrived in June this year with updated figures for 2018 showing that emissions from Oslo are increasing. Emissions from construction sites were much higher than expected, around 200,000 tonnes a year for Oslo.

– We got coffee down our throats when we saw that the emission figures from construction activities turned out to be three times higher than we thought, says Hermstad.

City Councilman Raymond Johansen believes it is important to reward companies that replace a fleet of diesel-powered machines with machines with lower emissions.

– Today it is a problem that due to bad international agreements it is too cheap to emit CO₂. We must believe that it will change, and then we must begin that change now. It will be fossil-free first, and then it will be emission-free, but it doesn’t stop there, he says.

It will be completely emission free

The new requirements of the municipality allow the use of machines that run on biofuels. When the municipality’s area sub-plan is revised, Oslo will require construction sites to be completely emission-free. It will happen in three or four years.

The municipality has previously laid out ambitions for emission-free construction sites by 2025.

– There will be strict requirements in the future, but we will do it together with the industry, says the city council leader.

– Entrepreneurs who take the initiative will benefit from it. The business community is putting pressure on us politicians, says Johansen.

He emphasizes that it is also important to establish requirements for heavy transportation that transports mass to and from construction sites.

Machines in the construction industry typically have a useful life of around seven years, and Johansen and Hermstad believe that the new city hall signs give contractors a clear running order. Then they can start working to get new machines with lower emissions.

– The technology that is mature today is sustainable biofuels, which some will choose. Others will choose the more future-oriented solution, as Becker has done here in Tøyen with its electric excavators, Hermstad says.

May include a new NRK building

The new Oslo requirements may mean that future projects, such as a new NRK building, must be built without excavators and diesel trucks. The government quarter is not covered by the requirements as it is a state regulated project, but the requirements will apply to other state projects.

– We will also make that demand to the state. This means that NRK will also meet that requirement when building new ones, Hermstad says.

– Does this make construction projects more expensive?

– We have looked at it, and it will be a few more expensive crowns. But it will pay off very quickly, because the price of CO emissions is expected to rise. As the market matures, prices will fall and these rules are the same for everyone. As a proportion of total construction costs, these are small expenses, Hermstad says.

The municipality of Oslo also works with international initiatives. Through collaborations such as C40 and CNCA with other cities, they hope to help global suppliers see business opportunities in delivering lower-emission machines.

– the wait is long

Becker Entreprenør is pleased that the municipality of Oslo sets requirements for fossil-free construction sites and therefore rewards players with low emissions.

– We can do it without fossils right away. It’s just to say we’ll shut down the fossil fuel pump tomorrow, that, Hans Erik Becker, co-owner of Becker Entreprenør, tells E24.

– We are able to obtain free fossils. It can be a bit difficult right away because there is a shortage. The price is high, but as long as it’s paid, it’s okay to use it, he says.

Excavator twice as expensive

It is much more expensive to buy an electric excavator than one that runs on diesel, although you can ask for Enova’s support.

– As of today, it is three times the price before receiving Enova support. With Enova support, you have a machine that is twice as expensive, says Becker.

Becker Entreprenør is an “environmental beacon” and has invested in electrical equipment even though it is expensive. Becker is trying to replace even more diesel-powered equipment, but solutions are not always available.

– There are still some equipment that is not electrified and that can still be used in cities. We put pressure on providers, and the time from when we record an interest until they can deliver it can take between 1 and 2 years. So we are talking, for example, of wheeled excavators, he says.

– If everyone is going to do this, will it be difficult to get enough machines?

– It will be a challenge. We see that the wait is long. People from half of Norway call us and ask if we rent machines. But we sit on them ourselves. Being environmental beacons is important to us, and then we can’t rent them, he says.

Becker wants some changes to the current bidding system. Among other things, an electric excavator that is used all the time will give the same score in a tender as an electric lift that is on site and that is rarely used.

– It will be a bit wrong, and I hope something can be done about it a little faster, says Becker.