Why electric construction machines should play a key role in bringing Singapore’s Green Plan to life

In 2023, Singapore became the first country in Southeast Asia to receive electric construction equipment from Volvo CE.

The country now has a golden opportunity to use these advanced machines to positively contribute to the Singapore Green Plan 2030, as the country takes firm action to build a more sustainable, greener and liveable future?

Launched in February 2021, the Singapore Green Plan 2030 is a whole-of-nation movement designed to deliver Singapore’s national priorities in relation to sustainable development. The wide-ranging plan will include the creation of substantial new infrastructure, so doesn’t it make sense to use cleaner equipment to help build this?

The fact is many of the existing initiatives under the Singapore Green Plan 2030 can benefit from the use of electric construction machinery. Think of the Plant-A-Tree Programme, a platform for organizations and individuals to help ‘green’ Singapore by planting trees. Or the OneMillionTrees movement from NParks, which similarly aims to redouble efforts to ‘green’ urban infrastructure by planting a million new trees by 2030. Both these initiatives call for widespread landscaping and excavating work to bring them to life.

There are other infrastructure projects too, where electric machines can play a positive role. For example the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) commitment to creating a cycling-friendly city, which will see an expansion of the current 525 km of cycling paths in Singapore to around 1,300 km by 2030. Or the creation of renewable energy facilities (such as solar power plants) or coastal protection initiatives to protect the coastline from rising sea levels.

Electric at work in Singapore
Electric machines are a much-needed step in the right direction for Singapore’s construction industry towards cleaner, quieter, and more sustainable equipment. In June 2023, the country became the first in Southeast Asia to benefit from the environmental and operational benefits of electric machinery when Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) introduced its L25 Electric compact wheel loader, ECR25 Electric compact excavator and the EC55 Electric Excavator.

Switching to electric construction machines also aligns with another headline ambition in Singapore’s journey to a greener tomorrow – the phasing out of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2030. This is part of the country’s goal of having all road vehicles powered by cleaner energy by 2040. When you consider that approximately 40 percent of the world’s annual CO2 emissions from building operations or the carbon produced in construction, we can see that moving to non-diesel machinery to help build a more sustainable built environment seems like an obvious choice.

In Asia, the transition to electric construction machines has begun, and the movement is building momentum. In addition to Singapore, Volvo CE electric machines are also now available in China, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea, with further rollouts planned. The company is planning for future growth in the segment, starting work on a new battery pack production facility at its excavator plant in Changwon, South Korea.

A.M. Muralidharan, Head of Productivity & Retail Development Asia said:
“Volvo CE is firmly committed to helping Singapore achieve the targets set out in the Singapore Green Plan 2030. As the first company to introduce electric construction equipment in Singapore, we have a deep understanding of the environmental challenges and are proactively working with the public and private sectors to facilitate a much-needed transition to electric. We truly believe that the future of the construction industry is electric and we will continue to innovate, delivering sustainable solutions that address climate change challenges here in Singapore and across the Asia region.”

The Singapore Green Plan incorporates ambitious targets over the next decade to strengthen the country’s commitments under the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and Paris Agreement to facilitate achieving net zero emissions by 2050. While the plan incorporates multiple segments of society, the commercial real estate sector is a key area of focus. The Singapore government is actively championing green buildings, pushing developers and building owners to adopt sustainable construction practices, re-build old structures and incorporate energy-saving technologies. With buildings accounting for over 20% of Singapore’s emissions, there are significant opportunities here for helping country meet its emission reduction targets.

Volvo CE leading the way in creating a carbon-free future
In 2021, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE), pledged to reduce its carbon impact and help meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The company is part of Volvo Group, which set a target of net-zero value chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 – 10 years earlier than it has pledged to reach under the Science Based Targets (SBTi) commitment.

Volvo CE has also set its own high interim goals to be met by 2030, including cutting emissions in half from its own operations, facilities, and manufacturing processes. In addition, it is targeting 30% in absolute reductions in the use of its products, whose indirect emissions account for the highest proportion of the company’s carbon emissions.

Creating a carbon-free future is a vision Volvo CE shares with many of its customers and it has created a CO2 Reduction Program to help customers achieve their own unique goals towards CO2 neutrality through a step-by-step process.

www.volvoce.com

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