Obayashi Corporation will begin introducing GX construction machinery (*1), including a 20-ton-level battery-powered backhoe, in domestic construction projects from FY 2024 as part of its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.

The Obayashi Group is committed to its greenhouse gas reduction targets (*2) for FY2030 and is promoting decarbonization efforts in line with the SBT(*3) certification obtained in October 2022. About 70% of CO2 emissions (Scope 1+2) from the use of fuel on construction machinery in the base year of the reduction target (FY2019) came from diesel fuel, and decarbonization of construction machinery is essential to our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, momentum for the introduction of GX construction machinery is growing in the construction industry as a whole, and in October 2023, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will launch the "certification system for GX construction machinery" to promote the spread of electric construction machinery.

Obayashi will introduce a 20-ton class-level battery-powered backhoe for tunnel construction work in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Since backhoes of the same class are used frequently at the Obayashi's construction sites, the use of the backhoes will be expanded to other construction projects, and GX construction machinery such as mobile cranes, which Obayashi had not adopted before, will be gradually introduced.

In addition to investigating and confirming the effectiveness of GX construction machinery in reducing CO2 emissions during actual operation, Obayashi will also verify different operation methods from those of construction machinery fueled by diesel oil for optimal operation. Furthermore, GX construction machinery using various power sources derived from renewable energy, such as green hydrogen produced by Obayashi will be introduced.

Model (Specifications)		Initiatives
Backhoe (20t class-level: battery-powered type)		Introduce machines to construction sites, compare them with conventional machines of the same size, and study recharging plans (FY2024) * CO2 emissions per conventional machine: 34 tons/year
Mobile crane (25t lifting: battery-powered type)		Introduce machines to construction sites to perform material lifting operations, etc., as well as to compare with conventional machines and study recharging plans (FY2024) * CO2 emissions per conventional machine: 32 tons/year
Generator (30kVA: hydrogen mixed combustion type)		Introduce machines construction sites to study and confirm actual oepration and use green hydrogen produced by Obayashi Corporation to verify the hydrogen operation system at construction sites (FY2024) *CO2 emissions per conventional machine: 9 tons/year
Dump truck (under selection)		Scheduled to be introduced (from FY2025 onward) Accounts for about 40% of all construction machinery in operation at construction sites, and is expected to have a high CO2 emission reduction effect Manufacturers are working on next-generation biofuels and next-generation engines for practical use *CO2 emissions per conventional machine: 24 tons/year (10-ton load)
Backhoe (fuel cell type)		Scheduled to be introduced (from FY2025 onward) Manufacturers are working to commercialize fuel cells for large construction machinery

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