Gothenburg Introduces Electrification Requirements for Construction Contracts

Greenhouse gas emissions from construction machines account for seven percent of total national greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Heavy-duty trucks account for an equally large share. The City of Gothenburg is now taking action to reduce emissions from this sector. Starting this year—by this autumn at the latest—at least 20 percent of the vehicles and construction machines used in newly signed construction contracts must be battery-electric. These requirements will then be raised successively throughout the contract period in a simple and transparent manner. The mandates apply to both the machinery and vehicles operating on construction sites and the transports to and from them.

This is a broad and joint initiative within the City of Gothenburg, and the partners hope that more regional actors will join. Gothenburg is the first city in Sweden, and among the first cities in the world, to unite a municipal group around strict requirements for electrified construction contracts.

"We are once again demonstrating that Gothenburg is a city driving the necessary transition. Through this collaborative effort, we are creating clear, long-term rules and better conditions for investments in electric solutions. We are accelerating the pace of electrification while strengthening the region's ability to attract investments and to compete," says Patrik Andersson, CEO of Business Region Göteborg.

Representing the Majority of City Contracts

Behind the collaborative push are the Real Estate Office, Facilities Administration, Urban Environment Department, Framtiden Group, Göteborg Energi AB, Recycling and Water, and the Sports and Associations Administration. Together, these parties account for the majority of the city's construction and civil engineering contracts.

"By coordinating and gradually increasing the requirements for electric operation in clear increments, we send a strong signal to the market and simplify planning for contractors. This will reduce the climate impact of our construction projects and help the entire building and civil engineering sector electrify faster," says Kristina Lindfors, Director of Exploitation.

Expecting Strong Regional Support

The City of Gothenburg has intensified its work on climate-neutral construction in recent years and has already come a long way regarding the electrification of transport. Within the ElectriCity collaboration, tests have been conducted that laid the foundation for the rapid electrification of public transport, and the Electric Worksite project has tested how the electrification of vehicles and machinery within the construction sector can be implemented in practice.

The new electrification requirements for contracts are part of the City of Gothenburg's Electrification Plan and align with the climate impact goals of the City’s Environmental and Climate Program. When the city last year joined Fossil Free Sweden’s declaration for emission-free civil engineering contracts, its ambitions were further reinforced.

In May, the business community and other regional actors will be invited to a dialogue. The parties behind this initiative want to ensure that the market has the opportunity to deliver on these requirements and encourage more procurement bodies to act similarly. The goal is to establish a stable, long-term demand for electrified construction contracts, extending well beyond the Gothenburg region.

"We are now creating better conditions for the market to plan investments in charging infrastructure as well as electric vehicles and machinery," says Anne Piegsa, Process Manager for the City of Gothenburg's Electrification Plan at Business Region Göteborg.