Norway sets cleaner-energy requirements for public construction machinery

Public construction projects in Norway will face new requirements for the energy used by machinery from January 2027. The climate ministry’s November 2 announcement sets an initial ten-percent share for electricity or biogas, rising annually to forty percent in 2030.

The framework allows exceptions, including circumstances in which zero-emission machines are technically difficult or too costly to use. Biofuels can also contribute under the exception arrangements, allowing some existing equipment to remain in service during the transition.

The ministry acknowledges that biofuel use may deliver smaller reductions than zero-emission alternatives and says implementation will be monitored. The percentages concern machinery energy use; they are not measured emissions reductions already achieved.