MAMMOET INTERVIEW Ӏ ELECTRIC CRANES
including several Eco500 units, which will reduce emissions to zero inside buildings and areas too small for standard-sized trailers to operate.
What types of work do you primarily use these cranes for? There are no drawbacks when using electric cranes. So, they can be deployed at any project. For example, we have used one of our electric cranes on a project lifting pontoons at the Hof pond in the city centre of The Hague and we've also we used electric cranes during maintenance activities in a steel plant. Our electric cranes have been
used predominantly indoors – but increasingly, this isn’t the case, as customers look to reduce the carbon impact of operations. Our 100t hybrid electric fleet have worked, for example, in emissions- free areas outside. Recently, we helped to remove a
transformer that had reached end- of-life using a Hoeflon mini crane to perform auxiliary lifting because its small footprint made it the ideal tool for the job. In reality, the answer to this question is ‘anywhere’. Wherever a customer wishes to reduce onsite emissions to zero, we are happy to mobilise our 60t-100t hybrid electric cranes to do so.
How does the performance of your electric cranes compare to traditional diesel-powered cranes in real world operations? Performance profiles for electric cranes versus diesel-driven is essentially identical. Our primary concern is being able to serve the needs of our customers, always. We are confident that our electric fleet can do just that. Having the right power options available on site is a challenge, but one we are working to meet head-on, by working with
our customers and also exploring a variety of portable power options to cover all potential scenarios.
How much CO2 reduction have you achieved with the adoption of electric mobile cranes? We believe this is significant, however the mobilisation of electric equipment brings more benefits than simply a reduction in CO2 emissions. These include a reduction in noise and an associated increase in site safety. Looking further back in the
chain, power for operations can be delivered by energy from renewable sources, for example offshore wind, making the entire process as sustainable as possible.
What is your long-term plan for decarbonising your lifting fleet? Investments in sustainable fleet power options are driven by higher demand for lower carbon solutions from our customers, as sustainability becomes an increasingly key part of the sourcing process for large and small projects, alike. Grid power, battery and solar-
powered operation is helping the organisation to move closer to zero emissions on site. Later, hydrogen will provide a way to service remote jobs.
How do electric cranes affect operational uptime and maintenance schedules compared to conventional models? Given the relatively young age of the technology, it would be unwise to speculate at this stage. Data is being continually collected to facilitate optimal decision-making. Having said this, generally speaking, electric equipment has fewer moving parts than its conventional counterpart, and do not require maintenance operations such as oil changes, filters and so on.
Have you faced any significant challenges with regards to charging infrastructure on jobsites? Operation from grid power requires earlier involvement and more thorough planning in advance than other methods. The availability of power networks needs to be researched in advance and, where grid power is unavailable, alternatives sought, through industrial battery provision, or, where necessary, hydrogen generators. As the world’s largest supplier of engineered heavy lifting services, we are well-positioned to deliver an execution strategy tailored to each customer’s needs.
Are electric mobile cranes currently being deployed in all markets or are they limited to specific geographies? In the first instance, deployment of electric equipment has taken place in the Netherlands, to help our customers to deliver world-class energy and infrastructure projects while responding to both public and government desires for lower carbon emissions.
Have you seen an increased demand for electric equipment in any specific sectors or industries? Demand is particularly high where work must take place indoors
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