Industry Views Sought on Plan to Cut Diesel from Sites

CONSTRUCTION industry businesses are being asked to give their views on the first ever unified plan to slash the amount of diesel used on sites.

Last year the Construction Leadership Council’s CO₂nstruct Zero campaign set a target to cut the amount of diesel used by construction by 78% by 2035.

Since then, a group of organisations including contractors, plant firms, clients, and trade bodies have been working together to set out a plan for how this target can be achieved.

Now, the outcome of this work – Consultation Draft: Zero diesel sites route map – is being published to provide firms across the industry with an opportunity to give their feedback on the proposals.

Plan to Cut Diesel from Sites

It is vital that any plans to eliminate diesel has the support of those that will be responsible for delivering this change so this consultation seeks not only to raise awareness, but also to give all companies the chance to say how they want to play their part, and any challenges that they see with the plan.

The consultation will remain open until the end of November 2022, after which feedback will be used to develop a final version of the plan.

Proposals in the consultation draft include:

• Training support to reduce plant idling and an industry fuel-saving ‘tournament’
• Developing a catalogue of diesel-alternative plant and efficiency tools
• Support to develop hydrogen as a fuel source
• Development of checklist to support sites transitioning to electric plant
• Work to improve availability of grid connections to sites
• A target to remove diesel generators from sites

Zero Diesel working group chair and HS2 Head of Environmental Sciences, Neil Wait, said: “As we approach COP27, we are reminded of the commitment that our industry gave last year in Glasgow. Our promise was to work together to deliver a Net Zero UK construction sector. We can only do that if we have a clear plan to eliminate the carbon emissions from our work. I am delighted that we can now test our proposals to dramatically reduce diesel use with industry and would encourage everyone to play their part in the consultation.”

CLC Deputy Co-Chair, Richard Robinson, said: “One of the strengths of CLC is its ability to coordinate activity from across the sector ensuring that we can all unite behind a common objective. I want to thank all those who volunteered their time to put together this draft plan which must now be owned by the sector as a whole if it’s going to be a success.

As such, now is your chance to have your say on the way that we will deliver a 78% reduction in diesel use on sites by 2035.”

The closing date for consultation responses is midnight 02 December 2022.

>> Read more about the CO₂nstruct Zero campaign in the news