A British-made JCB hydrogen fuelled digger – the primary one deployed exterior a take a look at setting wherever on the earth – has been used to hold out survey work for the Decrease Thames Crossing – which would be the first main infrastructure programme in Britain to be carbon impartial in building, Nationwide Highways has confirmed.
The Decrease Thames Crossing, a brand new highway and tunnel linking Kent and Essex, will double highway capability throughout the Thames. It’s going to drive development by making a direct and environment friendly freight route between the ports of the South East, the Midlands, and the North, and easing congestion on the Dartford Crossing – one of many UK’s most significant commerce routes that carries a better proportion of freight than another highway on the strategic highway community.
The Decrease Thames Crossing is the primary in a brand new era of British infrastructure tasks that’s designed to drive financial development whereas serving to the nation to fulfill its net-zero ambitions and turn into a clear vitality superpower.
As a carbon pathfinder challenge, the Decrease Thames Crossing is scaling up the usage of low-carbon building strategies and supplies, and in partnership with native SMEs and specialists throughout Britain is creating new inexperienced abilities and creating jobs.
The challenge goals to chop its building carbon footprint by 70% by aggressively concentrating on carbon because it refines the design of the brand new highway and adopting new supplies and strategies of building as they emerge. It has additionally made a authorized dedication to responsibly offset any remaining carbon emissions utilizing finest follow, and solely within the early 2030s as soon as efforts to cut back it throughout building are exhausted.
Additional data on the challenge’s ambitions may be present in the Decrease Thames Crossing’s newest sustainability report that was revealed immediately.
The challenge is making early progress on its promise to carbon impartial as considered one of its worksites grew to become the primary ever to host the stay deployment of a hydrogen powered digger wherever on the earth. A British-made JCB digger is being utilized by Skanska, the challenge’s supply associate answerable for constructing the brand new highway in Kent, to hold out floor investigation surveys across the route of the highway close to Gravesend. The machine was offered by Flannery Plant Rent, and the hydrogen gas was offered by Ryze.
The bottom investigation work won’t solely assist Skanska refine the detailed design of the highway, however has proved that the hydrogen machine is a succesful substitute for diesel powered equipment that has already saved over 1 tonne of CO2e throughout its first 4 weeks of operation. The stay deployment of the machine follows a profitable trial at Gallagher’s Hermitage Quarry in Kent earlier this yr. The JCB machine is present process last testing and validation with plans to enter full manufacturing on the agency’s Rocester manufacturing unit in Staffordshire throughout 2026.
Worlds first hydrogen powered excavator developed by international producer JCB being refuelled with hydrogen gas offered by hydrogen provider, Ryze
The challenge goals to remove diesel from its worksites by 2027 by making the most important ever buy of inexperienced hydrogen for a building challenge and utilizing it alongside electrical and biofuel to energy its equipment. The contract to provide, retailer and distribute hydrogen to the Decrease Thames Crossing’s heavy diggers and gear throughout its building websites is predicted to be awarded later this yr. The challenge can even solely use the bottom carbon concrete and metal.
“The federal government-backed Decrease Thames Crossing will slash journey occasions for motorists, in addition to our important freight trade. Its building can even be utterly carbon impartial, displaying main infrastructure tasks may be delivered hand in hand with our formidable environmental targets,” says Roads and Buses Minister Simon Lightwood. “Constructed and powered by British companies, the Decrease Thames Crossing is creating financial development and unlocking jobs, all a part of our authorities’s Plan for Change.”
“Our dedication to being carbon impartial and restoring nature will show that the British building trade has the imaginative and prescient and abilities to construct the tasks wanted to drive development in a approach that enhances, not impacts, the native setting,” provides Matt Palmer, Nationwide Highways Govt Director for Decrease Thames Crossing. “It’s an extremely thrilling second as our ambitions to create a neighborhood workforce mix with this cutting-edge know-how to place UK building on the forefront of worldwide innovation.”
The challenge plans to be the greenest highway ever constructed within the UK by creating six occasions extra inexperienced house than highway, with 1,000,000 new bushes, a brand new woodland, two public parks, a wetland for birds and 40 miles of paths for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Eighty per cent of the highway shall be in a tunnel, beneath floor degree or behind earthworks and 7 new inexperienced bridges will create crossing factors for wildlife and mix the highway into the panorama.
The challenge obtained planning permission in March 2025 and is now working with the federal government on funding choices. Building may begin as early as 2026, with the brand new highway anticipated to open within the early 2030s.
