CPA Bulletin

32 CPA Bulletin > November 2023 www.cpa.uk.net Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM), particularly from the construction sector, is a significant contributor to air pollution in large cities. Since 2015, the Mayor of London and Merton Council has been working in partnership with the construction and demolition industry to clean up the NRMM fleet in London. Similar to London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), the NRMM Low Emission Zone requires that all engines with a power rating between 37kW and 560kW meet a certain euro standard. For non-road machinery these are called emission “Stages”. It also requires that all developments, and the machinery they use, are registered on the Mayor of London’s Online NRMM Register throughout the works. The current requirements are that all machinery in Greater London needs to be EU Stage IIIB as a minimum, and in the Central Activities Zone and Opportunity areas we apply a stricter Stage IV standard. A map of these zones is available on the Mayor of London NRMM webpage at https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes- and-strategies/environment-and-climate- change/pollution-and-air-quality/nrmm The London Borough of Merton operates the Cleaner Construction for London scheme, inspecting all sites across 32 London Local Authorities to deliver compliance. Although enforcement action can be taken against non-compliant sites, the industry is overwhelmingly supportive of the move towards cleaner machinery, and legal action has rarely been required. Huge strides have been made to remove older, more polluting Stage I, II and IIIA equipment, and we are driving for ever-tightening emission standards, so London’s NRMM journey is far from over. From 1st January 2025 all machinery used on construction/demolition sites in London is required to be Stage IV as a minimum, whether this be through the fitment of retrofit exhaust systems approved by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) or purchasing newer equipment. Generators are already required to be Stage V on all power applications except Tower Cranes, but from 1st January 2024 generators powering Tower Cranes will need to be Stage V also. Stage V generators are sensitive to loading, leading to a huge cultural change within London’s generator market. Typically oversized and underloaded, generators are now often supplied with telematics, battery packs and flywheel energy storage systems to ensure they operate as efficiently as possible, enabling Stage V and reducing fuel consumption. Generator suppliers are expected to consider these technologies on any deployments where a Stage V generator on its own may be unable to cope with the power demand. Fleet operators must make every effort to supply compliant machinery and ensure that they have sufficient quantities of compliant kit to meet the demand of London’s construction sector. The London NRMM Low Emission Zone: Regulator’s Update GUEST ARTICLES: 1 by Luis Bassett, Project Coordinator - Air Quality Projects (NRMM), London Boroughs of Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth