The Decrease Thames Crossing would be the first main infrastructure programme in Britain to be carbon impartial in building.
The information comes as a British-made JCB hydrogen fuelled digger – the primary one deployed outdoors a take a look at atmosphere anyplace on the planet – was used to hold out survey work on the venture in Kent.
The Decrease Thames Crossing, a brand new highway and tunnel linking Kent and Essex, will double highway capability throughout the Thames. It’s going to drive development by making a direct and environment friendly freight route between the ports of the South East, the Midlands, and the North, and easing congestion on the Dartford Crossing – one of many UK’s most important commerce routes that carries a better proportion of freight than every other highway on the strategic highway community.
The Decrease Thames Crossing is the primary in a brand new technology of British infrastructure tasks that’s designed to drive financial development whereas serving to the nation to satisfy its net-zero ambitions and turn out to be a clear vitality superpower.
As a carbon pathfinder venture, the Decrease Thames Crossing is scaling up using low-carbon building strategies and supplies, and in partnership with native SMEs and specialists throughout Britain is growing new inexperienced expertise and creating jobs.
The venture goals to chop its building carbon footprint by 70% by aggressively concentrating on carbon because it refines the design of the brand new highway and adopting new supplies and strategies of building as they emerge. It has additionally made a authorized dedication to responsibly offset any remaining carbon emissions utilizing greatest follow, and solely within the early 2030s as soon as efforts to cut back it throughout building are exhausted.
The venture is making early progress on its promise to carbon impartial as one in all its worksites turned the primary ever to host the stay deployment of a hydrogen powered digger anyplace on the planet.
A British-made JCB digger is being utilized by Skanska, the venture’s supply associate liable for constructing the brand new highway in Kent, to hold out floor investigation surveys across the route of the highway close to Gravesend. The machine was supplied by Flannery Plant Rent, and the hydrogen gas was supplied by Ryze.
The bottom investigation work is not going to solely assist Skanska refine the detailed design of the highway, however has proved that the hydrogen machine is a succesful alternative for diesel powered equipment that has already saved over 1 tonne of CO2e throughout its first 4 weeks of operation.
The stay deployment of the machine follows a profitable trial at Gallagher’s Hermitage Quarry in Kent earlier this yr. The JCB machine is present process last testing and validation with plans to enter full manufacturing on the agency’s Rocester manufacturing facility in Staffordshire throughout 2026.
The venture goals to get rid of diesel from its worksites by 2027 by making the biggest ever buy of inexperienced hydrogen for a building venture and utilizing it alongside electrical and biofuel to energy its equipment. The contract to provide, retailer and distribute hydrogen to the Decrease Thames Crossing’s heavy diggers and tools throughout its building websites is anticipated to be awarded later this yr. The venture may also solely use the bottom carbon concrete and metal.
“The federal government-backed Decrease Thames Crossing will slash journey occasions for motorists, in addition to our important freight business. Its building may also be utterly carbon impartial, displaying main infrastructure tasks may be delivered hand in hand with our formidable environmental targets,” says Simon Lightwood, roads and buses minister. “Constructed and powered by British companies, the Decrease Thames Crossing is creating financial development and unlocking jobs, all a part of our authorities’s Plan for Change.”
The venture obtained planning permission in March 2025 and is now working with the federal government on funding choices. Development might begin as early as 2026, with the brand new highway anticipated to open within the early 2030s.
Pictures: Decrease Thames Crossing
