Pile driving with electric power alone
Aarsleff Ground Engineering AB in Sweden has invested in the world’s first battery-powered pile driving rig.
Junttan Oy, which developed this rig develops and builds solid and reliable piling equipment, and Aarsleff specialises in ground engineering with an emphasis on geotechnically challenging projects and marine structures. The companies have combined their respective strengths and expertise to contribute to sustainability without any limitations on either capacity or performance.
“It feels fantastic to finally be able to offer our customers a climate-smart alternative and a more climate-friendly construction site,” says Niclas Brogren, CEO of Aarsleff Ground Engineering AB. He continues: “It was, of course, a strategic decision at Group level that the piling rig ended up right here in Sweden, but it feels really good to be one of the first Swedish piling contractors to meet the growing demand and interest for climate-smart solutions for piling work in the construction industry.”
The new Junttan PMx2e, is equipped with two battery packs of 396kWh and a 266kW electric motor, which generates a continuous working day of 8-10 hours. The new piling rig is already in place in Sweden and will soon be heading for its first project. In one year, Aarsleff is estimated to be likely to save 35,000kg of CO2 and 14,000 litres of diesel. To the customers there are no limitations on the performance of the new battery-powered Junttan PMx2e, compared to the conventional Junttan PMx22. The new piling rig does not produce local emissions and generates significantly less noise when moving across the construction site and can therefore be used in environments with strict emission requirements.
According to the CEO of the Aarsleff Group, Jesper Kristian Jacobsen, it is an active choice to take responsibility, lead the way and contribute to the green transition. “This is just the beginning; we will soon see an increasing number of battery-powered machines of this kind at the construction sites. There are no excuses for choosing diesel if you have a more environmentally friendly alternative. Our sustainability work does not end here, it has just begun.”
