Esher, UK, 14^th January 2020: Keltbray Group, a leading UK specialist business that offers engineering, construction, demolition, decommissioning, remediation, rail, power transmission & distribution, reinforced concrete structures and environmental services today announces it has installed the first ever pile using Wagners Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC®) in London, with leading concrete supplier Capital Concrete.

This week, a 900mm diameter, 25m deep anchor pile was installed at the Keltbray site at Landsec’s Nova East, London Victoria project using Wagners EFC®. Keltbray is the principal contractor on the project which is valued at a total of £4.5M. Keltbray is undertaking the trial of the EFC concrete mix in conjunction with further ongoing trials associated with their Innovate UK funded HIPER pile project.

EFC® is a product manufactured by Australian firm Wagners and is a zero cement, geopolymer concrete supplied by Capital Concrete in London. The innovative product typically offers a 50% saving in embodied Carbon over and above standard piling mixes.

Stuart Norman, Keltbray Piling’s Managing Director, says, “This is a significant milestone for the business and we’re pleased with the progress we’ve made on the project. This continues our efforts and commitment to sustainability, and embodies our ethos as a business of helping to drive innovation in engineering. I am especially thankful that we have finally, seemingly arrived at a point in our industry where the whole supply chain is acknowledging the need for change.”

David Heaford, Landsec’s Head of Development, says, “Landsec has committed to becoming a net zero carbon business by 2030 and it’s great to see tangible innovative examples, like more environmentally friendly piling work taking place in London, highlighting our net zero strategy in action. Collaboration is the key to success in reducing emissions through each phase of our development projects, so we’re pleased to work with Keltbray, who have a like-minded approach to sustainability, on the development of Nova East.”

Luke Smith, Capital Concrete’s Managing Director, says, “We’ve seen interest in ultra-low-carbon concrete pick up recently, interest which is clearly linked to the growing importance of environmental considerations in construction build designs. We have a strong reputation for developing cutting-edge solutions and niche products and the development of ‘Earth Friendly Concrete’ represented an opportunity to do both simultaneously. Supplying this product to the highest level of quality control was easy at our new state of the art, high output wet-batch concrete plant at Silvertown.”

John Day, Wagner’s Group Technical Manager, says, “This project is another great example of the progress we have made with our technology, it is extremely rewarding to be here in Central London batching Wagners EFC® for customers that realise the benefit our product has to offer. I congratulate both Keltbray and Capital Concrete in both the successful implementation of this work today along with their foresight to innovate and reduce Carbon emissions.”

Further announcements will be made as the project progresses.