LTC Announcements: Hydrogen Supplier Shortlist & Tunnels Contract Award

Hydrogen shortlist: Four firms have been shortlisted to supply over 6 million kilograms of hydrogen to use on the proposed LTC. These firms include:

• • Air Products PLC
  • BOC Limited
  • BP Oil UK Limited
  • INOVYN Europe Limited

The road is to be the first major UK infrastructure project to use hydrogen to power heavy construction machinery.

National Highways has today (29 November 2023) unveiled the four businesses that have been shortlisted to supply over 6 million kilograms of hydrogen for use on the proposed Lower Thames Crossing project, the largest volume ever bought in the UK transport sector.

Having passed the first stage of the procurement process, the firms will move into a Competitive Dialogue with National Highways. This approach allows for direct discussion between each bidder and National Highways, and is designed to find innovative, deliverable solutions. The contract award is expected in summer 2024.

The contract is for the supply, storage and distribution of over six million kilograms of hydrogen, which will be used to power the construction machinery that will be used to build the new crossing.

Diesel accounts for around a third of the projects carbon footprint, and using hydrogen will allow the scheme to replace around 20 million litres of diesel on its worksites. Electric plant and battery powered machinery will also be used for static or slow-moving machinery. Other renewable fuel sources and biofuels may also be used.

Kat Ferguson, Procurement Director, Lower Thames Crossing said: “The proposed Lower Thames Crossing is designed to the greenest road ever built in the UK. We’ve put carbon reduction at the heart of our procurement process, and have ambitious plans to use hydrogen to target one of the biggest sources of embedded carbon in the construction industry – diesel. We’ve shortlisted four firms who want to help us meet our carbon reduction targets by replacing around 20 million litres of diesel with hydrogen, and I look forward to moving into the next stage of the procurement process with them.”

As part of National Highways’ commitment to net zero maintenance and construction emissions by 2040, the Lower Thames Crossing has been designated a pathfinder project to explore carbon neutral construction during its main work phase between 2026 and 2032. The scheme seeks to remove an estimated total of 66 million litres of diesel from its worksites – and using new, cleaner fuels such as hydrogen is one of the ways that will contribute to making this possible.

The purchase of such a large volume of hydrogen to use on the Lower Thames Crossing will speed up the construction industry’s shift away from diesel power by showing other infrastructure projects what is possible, and by giving some of the UK’s biggest construction firms the confidence to invest in the next generation of machinery and skills that will then become the new standard practice on other projects. The ambitious plan will also kick-start the highly anticipated development of a hydrogen ecosystem in the Thames Estuary that, according to the government-backed Thames Estuary Growth Board, has the potential to create 9,000 new highly skilled jobs and give a £3.8 billion boost to the economy.

The Lower Thames Crossing is a proposed new road and tunnel across the river Thames east of London. The detailed examination of the Lower Thames Crossing by the Government’s independent planning experts, the Planning Inspectorate, is currently underway. If the plans are approved, construction is currently expected to start in 2026.

Tunnel contract announced: National Highways has awarded Bouygues Travaux Publics- Murphy Joint Venture the tunnels contract, joining Balfour Beatty and Skanska to build the Lower Thames Crossing Project.

National Highways has today (07 December 2023) announced that it has awarded Bouygues Travaux Publics – Murphy Joint Venture the contract to build the country’s largest bored tunnels.

The Lower Thames Crossing is a proposed new road connecting Kent and Essex, and is designed to tackle congestion at the Dartford Crossing. The new route will help grow the economy across the UK by almost doubling road capacity across the Thames east of London and make journeys across the region quicker, safer and more reliable.

The award of the Tunnels and Approaches contract completes the assembly of the Lower Thames Crossing delivery team, with BMJV joining Balfour Beatty who will build the roads north of the Thames, and Skanska who will build the roads in Kent.

The delivery team is now getting construction ready by using their extensive experience in delivering major projects around the globe to improve the design and exploring ways to maximise the benefits of the project. This includes working with local stakeholders to carry out the detailed design work that will reduce the impact of construction on the local community and environment, and to embed new and emerging low carbon technologies and materials. The team has also made commitments to develop a local supply chain, and help local people take advantage of the new green jobs and skills that will be available on their doorstep during construction.

Matt Palmer, Lower Thames Crossing Executive Director, said: “This contract award completes a world class team that has carbon reduction, community and value at its heart. By bringing the team together at an early stage we can focus on driving out carbon, delivering the best possible value for money and maximising the huge benefits the project will deliver nationally, regionally and locally.

“Bouygues Travaux Publics – Murphy JV and all of our delivery partners are fully bought into our passion for delivering a green-skills legacy and share our ambition to use the Lower Thames Crossing as a catalyst to change the whole construction industry’s attitude and approach to carbon reduction.”

Bertrand Burtschell, Managing Director of Bouygues Travaux Publics, said: “We are excited to work in partnership with National Highways and our joint venture partner Murphy, alongside a range of amazing local supply chain and stakeholder partners to deliver the Lower Thames Crossing Tunnels and Approaches contract on time and on budget, while playing our part in creating a positive long-lasting legacy for the Lower Thames Crossing project in both Kent and Essex. Alongside our Lower Thames Crossing delivery partners, we will work tirelessly to deliver a project that is the benchmark for future infrastructure in terms of skills education, employment opportunities, local business growth and exemplar low carbon construction!”

Nick Fletcher, UK Managing Director at Murphy, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the Tunnels and Approaches in partnership with National Highways and our joint venture partner Bouygues Travaux Publics. At Murphy, our purpose is to improve life by delivering world-class infrastructure, we look forward to working with all partners and stakeholders on this project to help realise the long term benefits of investing in a key part of the UK’s national infrastructure. Lower Thames Crossing is a great opportunity for all partners to showcase our engineering expertise and commitment to collaboration and constructing low carbon infrastructure.”