Bettembourg-Dudelange Intermodal Terminal Expands Sustainable Energy Investments

On Tuesday 28 January 2025, the Bettembourg-Dudelange intermodal terminal advanced its investment plan for sustainable energy with the installation of a third portal crane. 

The next phase of the project will see the replacement of thermal tractors with MOL electric tractors (model: YME 225), marking a key step in the terminal's electrification efforts and its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, CFL multimodal stated in a press release. 

In 2022, The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and CFL terminals, in partnership with CFL multimodal, signed a co-financing agreement for the PULSE investment project (capacity, automation, digitalisation, decarbonisation and modernisation). A grant has been awarded by the European Commission under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme for the modernisation of the Bettembourg-Dudelange intermodal terminal. 

Since the beginning of November 2024, the intermodal terminal has been operating four MOL electric tractors. Thanks to this new fleet, the intermodal terminal expects to reduce diesel consumption from 144,770 litres in 2022 to around 30,000 litres in 2025. At the same time, CO2 emissions will fall significantly, from 449 tonnes in 2022 to around 90 tonnes in 2025. 

In addition to their environmental benefits, these new electric tractors offer other advantages, including a significant reduction in noise and vibrations, which means less noise pollution in the vicinity of the terminal, the absence of exhaust fumes, a smooth transition from one gear to another without jerking, improved driving conditions for the operational team, and technological advances that allow the machines to be remotely diagnosed and reprogrammed, thereby considerably reducing the need for technicians to visit and work on site. 

The new tractors are also equipped with smart tablets connected to the 5G network, representing a major technological advance. These tablets are particularly useful for the operational team, who can now not only better anticipate orders thanks to these devices, but also optimise their workflow. 

All these benefits contribute not only to improved working conditions for operators, and also to a reduced environmental impact and a better working environment. 

Laurent Erhard, Managing Director CFL terminals, stated: "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 fully decarbonise our operations, and we hope to achieve it by 2027."