The company is excited about this because the crane is the first in Queensland to be 100% fuelled with HVO. The fuel is usually made from used cooking oil and is widely touted as a ‘green’ alternative to traditional diesel.
HVO is not currently produced in Australia and therefore isn’t generally available. The fuel for this crane was procured and imported to Queensland as part of a collaboration between Lendlease, the Queensland government, the department of state development, supplier Refuelling Solutions and crane hirer BSF Mobile Cranes.
The crane was used to lift steel beams and precast concrete panels into place for the new Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) in Brisbane.
This initiative was designed to demonstrate the viability of renewable diesel as a low-carbon option for the construction industry, ahead of the Queensland government’s Oceania Biofuels’ refinery commencing operations in 2025.
Lendlease said that moving towards genuinely fossil fuel-free construction (without relying on carbon-offsetting to massage the figures) is a key part of its goal to reach ‘absolute zero carbon’ across construction, development, and investment management globally by 2040.
In late 2022, Lendlease began using HVO in tower cranes on the Powerhouse Parramatta project in Sydney, marking a first for Australia. The initiative is now used in the majority of Lendlease’s construction projects in the UK, including the construction of Google’s new headquarters in London.
The New Performing Arts Venue will increase the footprint of QPAC, making it the largest performing arts centre in Australia, with the potential to welcome an additional 300,000 visitors a year across five outstanding venue spaces.
Queensland deputy premier, Steven Miles, said: “Lower emissions fuel will play a role in Queensland’s transition to a renewable energy future, set out in the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.
“Continuing to use biofuels locally will grow our local industry opportunities, making Queensland an attractive place for global and national businesses to set up bio-refineries and bio-manufacturing.”
Lendlease general manage Jerome Johnson added: “With Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games, we hope our initiative is a step towards a climate positive games and inspires collective action for fossil-fuel free construction for contractors and the supply chain.”
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