More than 30 zero-emission machines are already operating across the project\u2019s sites in Kent and Essex, with the fleet expected to increase to around 150 machines at peak construction in 2028. Equipment currently deployed includes 20t excavators, rollers, tractors, telehandlers and hydrogen-powered generators.<\/p>\n
Diesel has been prohibited on Lower Thames Crossing construction sites since 2025, with construction equipment instead powered by electricity, hydrogen or hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The northern tunnel portal site is being powered entirely by hydrogen supplied by UK company GeoPura.<\/p>\n
The programme forms part of National Highways\u2019 ambition for the Lower Thames Crossing to become the first major UK infrastructure project to achieve carbon-neutral construction.<\/p>\n
Early works on the project began in March 2026, ahead of the start of major construction and tunnelling in 2028. The new 23km road will connect the A2\/M2 in Kent with the M25 south of junction 29 in Essex and provide a new crossing of the Thames east of London.<\/p>\n
At the centre of the scheme will be two parallel road tunnels, each approximately 4.2km long, making them the longest road tunnels in the UK. The tunnels will carry three lanes of traffic in each direction and will be excavated beneath the Thames at depths of up to around 60m.<\/p>\n
The tunnels and approaches are being delivered by the Bouygues Travaux Publics\u2013Murphy Joint Venture (BMJV), one of the three principal delivery partners on the scheme. Balfour Beatty is responsible for roads north of the Thames, while Skanska is delivering the Kent roads package.<\/p>\n
National Highways confirmed in July that Herrenknecht will manufacture the project\u2019s TBM. The 16.4m-diameter Variable Density machine will be the largest TBM ever used in Europe and the largest Variable Density TBM built at Herrenknecht\u2019s German headquarters. It will be approximately 120m long and weigh more than 5,000t.<\/p>\n
The machine is being designed to operate through changing ground conditions, including clay and chalk below the water table, and will feature what Herrenknecht describes as its largest accessible cutting wheel to date.<\/p>\n
Rather than using separate machines for the two bores, BMJV will use a single TBM. It will launch from the northern portal near Tilbury in 2028, excavate the first crossing and then be turned around to excavate the second bore. National Highways said the arrangement will reduce both costs and embodied carbon. The TBM itself will be electrically powered using renewable energy.<\/p>\n
Matt Palmer, Chief Executive Officer of the Lower Thames Crossing, said the deployment of zero-emission plant demonstrated that major construction projects could reduce their reliance on diesel and help make low-carbon construction methods standard practice across the industry.<\/p>\n
The project\u2019s 2025\u201326 Sustainability Report also highlights the establishment of a construction skills hub in Gravesham, engagement with more than 600 local businesses and the creation of new habitat as part of more than 3,000 acres of green space planned alongside the scheme.<\/p>\n
The Lower Thames Crossing received development consent in March 2025. Once complete, it is intended to relieve pressure on the existing Dartford Crossing and provide a new strategic road connection between the South East ports, Midlands and North.<\/p>\n
The crossing is expected to open in the early to mid-2030s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
More than 30 zero-emission machines are already operating across the project\u2019s sites in Kent and Essex, with the fleet expected to increase to around 150 machines at peak construction in 2028. Equipment currently deployed includes 20t excavators, rollers, tractors, telehandlers and hydrogen-powered generators. Diesel has been prohibited on Lower Thames Crossing construction sites since 2025, with construction equipment instead powered by electricity, hydrogen or hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The northern tunnel portal site is being powered entirely by hydrogen supplied by UK company GeoPura. The programme forms part of National Highways\u2019 ambition for the Lower Thames Crossing to become the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[609,5613],"class_list":["post-20612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-lower-thames-crossing","tag-zero-emission","post--single"],"yoast_head":"\n