March 6, 2024

Skanska is working on the construction of the future E18 highway outside Oslo, Norway. To complete the Strand-Ramstadsletta stretch and to cover the high energy demand required on-site while meeting environmental goals, Skanska relies on a battery-based energy storage system from Atlas Copco for optimized power distribution and consumption. The Strand-Ramstadsletta stretch will have six two-kilometre lanes. The project includes two-thirds of the Høvik tunnel (1,250 metres), the new Ramstadsletta bridge over the E18, an additional crossing at Høvik, part of the cycle route along Sandviksveien, and the adaptation of the current local road system. In addition, a new water and drainage route is being built. It’s planned that these works will be finished by 2029/2030, as part of the more extensive E18 Lysaker-Ramstadsletta contract – with a cost framework of NOK 23.1 billion, about 2.02 billion euros.

Working towards the decarbonization of the construction industry, the Norwegian government has approved stringent regulations aimed at reducing emissions and limiting noise levels in construction sites. In that framework, the project will be environmentally certified according to BREEAM Infrastructure – aiming to achieve a level of Excellent. BREEAM Infrastructure is the world's leading sustainability assessment, rating, and awards scheme for civil engineering, infrastructure, landscaping, and public realm projects.

Using the ZBC 250-575 energy storage system from Atlas Coco, Skanska saves 340 litres of fuel per day, 4.2 tons of CO2 per week, and a total cost saving of 1,700 euros per week. The main challenge faced during the construction of the E18 highway is that the power grid available onsite is insufficient to cover the high energy demand. Tom Stadeløkken, Energy Financial Project Leader at Skanska, says “To address this issue, we have introduced Atlas Copco’s ZBC 250-575 energy storage system which not only boosted the available energy onsite but also powered an electrical drilling rig and an electric compressor equipped with frequency control. This battery-based solution enables peak shaving with the power grid.”