The Bettembourg-Dudelange intermodal terminal is continuing its investment plan in favour of the energy transition. Following the installation of a third gantry crane, the site is now focusing on the electrification of its vehicles, with the gradual replacement of thermal tractors with electric models. This initiative “contributes significantly to the electrification of our activities and the reduction of the terminal's carbon footprint,” explains CFL Multimodal in its press release.
To complete this transition, a co-financing agreement was signed in 2022 between the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (Cinea) and CFL Terminals, in partnership with CFL Multimodal. This partnership is part of the Pulse investment project, 30% of which is funded by the European Commission via the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme. With a budget of €7.7m, Pulse aims to modernise the intermodal terminal through five strategic axes: capacity, automation, digitalisation, decarbonisation and modernisation.
Since November 2024, four Mol electric tractors have been in service. Thanks to this new fleet, the intermodal terminal expects to reduce its diesel consumption. This should fall from 144,770 litres in 2022 to around 30,000 litres by 2025. At the same time, CO2 emissions will fall significantly, from 449 tonnes in 2022 to around 90 tonnes in 2025. The investment in these new tractors, including the associated equipment and recharging point, amounts to €1.5m.
Benefits beyond ecology
In addition to their ecological benefits, these tractors offer other advantages. In particular, they reduce noise and vibrations, thereby reducing noise pollution in the vicinity of the terminal. The absence of exhaust fumes and smooth gear transitions also improve working conditions for agents.
The new tractors are also equipped with tablets connected to the 5G network. These are particularly useful for the operational team, who can now “not only better anticipate orders thanks to these devices, but also optimise their workflow,” explains the company.
The new tractors are equipped with tablets connected to the 5G network. Photo: CFL Multimodal
“With the introduction of our new electric tractors, we are taking a decisive step towards a sustainable energy transition, while reducing our carbon footprint and modernising our operations. We still have one last step to take to completely decarbonise our activities, and we hope to be able to take it by 2027,” said Laurent Erhard, managing director of CFL Terminals.
This article was originally published in .