Laing O’Rourke announces $12m investment in electric construction equipment in Australia

Laing O Rourke

australia, construction, crawler crane, infrastructure, Laing O'Rourke, Select Plant Australia, telehandlers,

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Laing O’Rourke announces first-ever series of electric plant and vehicles bound for infrastructure projects, with Australia’s first renewable fleet of 250t crawler cranes to arrive in early 2023.

This is the first investment for the Australian construction sector and is part of the company’s efforts to reduce scope one and two carbon emissions and reach operational net zero by 2030.

“Electric plant and equipment are a game changer for our sector. Globally, we set an ambitious target to achieve operational net zero by 2030, which relates to scope 1 and 2 emissions, and be a net zero company before 2050, which relates to scope three emissions,” says Managing Director for Laing O’Rourke Australia Rebecca Hanly.

Australia’s first two 250-tonne electric crawler cranes will arrive in early 2023, with the first arrival to be deployed on a Western Australian infrastructure project.

Managed by Select Plant Australia, a subsidiary of Laing O’Rourke, the two Liebherr LR 1250.1 fully electric lattice jib crawler cranes produce zero emissions while offering the same performance as their diesel-powered counterparts.

In another first for the Australian construction sector, Laing O’Rourke will add a fleet of 2.5-tonne electric telehandlers to Select’s growing range of electric plant and equipment.  The ten Manitou MT 625E model telehandlers produce zero emissions and very low noise, helping to improve operator awareness and communication with other workers.

These acquisitions will add to the 8.5-tonne SEA electric trucks, 3-tonne electric teletruks, electric plate compactors, lighting solutions and battery energy storage systems already used by Select on Australian construction sites.

Rebecca Hanley, Managing Director – Australia at Laing O’Rourke, said the purchase of the pioneering electric plant was evidence of the company’s commitment to sustainability, innovation, and sector leadership.

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“Investment in this type of technology, along with our solar-powered site compounds and other initiatives, means we can both deliver certainty for our clients and meet our commitments to the world around us,” says Managing Director for Laing O’Rourke Australia Rebecca Hanley.

“Laing O’Rourke’s mission is to be the recognised leader for innovation and excellence in the construction industry, and this is just another example of how we are striving to fulfil that goal and support change in the sector,” says Managing Director for Laing O’Rourke Australia Rebecca Hanley. 

Source: © Laing O’ Rourke 2022

Image source: © Laing O’ Rourke 2022

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