23.03.2023

First Unplugged in Asia

Hong Kong contractor Gammon Construction has taken delivery of the first Liebherr battery powered crawler crane to arrive in Asia.

The 160 tonne LR 1160.1 Unplugged arrived in late January and has gone to work on the Terminal 2 Expansion project at Hong Kong International Airport. The crane is said to not only provide a quieter cleaner atmosphere , but provides a net carbon saving of nearly 76 tonnes CO2e every year. It can also be used in both plugged and unplugged modes, and offers battery recharging time of 4.5 hours.
Please register to see all images

The formal handover

The crane is part of the company’s commitment to reduce its absolute energy related emissions by 55 percent, through site electrification, the deployment of electric equipment and vehicles, increased energy efficiency and the adoption of modern methods of construction. Along with its aim to reduce indirect emissions - mainly carbon in materials - by 33 percent through modularisation and reuse of structural steel, lower carbon concrete mixes, procurement of lower carbon steel, optimised material usage through design and construction methods, and selection of alternative materials with a lower carbon footprint. Liebherr announced its Unplugged models at the very end of 2020 – See: Liebherr unveils electric crawlers

Gammon chief executive Kevin O’Brien said: “Gammon believes business sustainability and environmental sustainability are inherently interlinked. Introduction of the first electric crawler crane to Hong Kong demonstrates Gammon’s commitment towards net zero. We look forward to having quieter, cleaner and lower carbon construction sites in the future.”

Andreas Ganahl of Liebherr HK added: “With our unplugged cranes we offer our customers an alternative drive design. As we have already seen with the LB 16 unplugged, the first battery-powered drilling rig, the strategy is a complete success. Strict requirements regarding environmental sustainability in tenders for construction projects increase the demand for advanced technologies. For us, it was clear that we extend and successfully establish the design in further product groups,”