A ‘world-first’ plug-in electric drilling rig is being piloted

Global construction giant Skanska is testing a “world-first” plug-in electric drilling rig on the largest infrastructure project in Europe.

Skanska’s piling and ground engineering arm, Cementation Skanska, is piloting the eBG 33 in London on its first full production job. It’s working on HS2, the UK’s new high-speed rail line that will run from London to the Northwest. The HS2 project is aiming for all its construction sites to be diesel-free by 2029.

For the first time, the eBG 33 plug-in electric drilling rig is using its own electric substation onsite. It was previously piloted on HS2 in Birmingham, but it ran on fuel generators there to test its huge power cord on a live construction site.

The Bauer eBG 33 was made by Bauer Maschinen in Germany. It has a drive power of 405 kW, putting it in the same class as Bauer’s BG 28 and BG 36. It cuts noise by 50% in rig idling and tracking mode, which is a real benefit in an urban setting. In the 360 hours that this pilot plug-in machine has operated so far, it’s saved the equivalent of 116 tonnes of local emissions.

Warren Arnold, general manager of Bauer Equipment UK, said:

This really is a great opportunity to showcase what the eBG33 can deliver in real-term savings. We hope that the local residents can benefit from the massively reduced CO2 outputs and the reduced noise emission.

Plugging the electric drilling rig into the local power grid allows Bauer and Skanska Cementation to monitor its electricity consumption during the piling process. The data from the plug-in rig will help in the development of Bauer’s new battery version, the aeBG 33.

Cementation Skanska operations director Andrew Entwistle said:

Not only has it been valuable for us to work with the eBG33 firsthand on a live project, but it’s provided an important opportunity to demonstrate the potential of all-electric heavy plant to the wider industry.

You can see the eBG 33 in action in the video below, and its specs are here:

Read more: Here’s what I found out in Texas about John Deere’s electric backhoe

Photo: Cementation Skanska

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