Dura Vermeer, Ploegam, and Boskalis join forces.
More and more contractors are opting for emission-free machinery. In doing so, they are often confronted with the fact that electricity is unavailable or insufficient on the construction site. Because the distribution and transport of power between the charging station and the construction site benefits enormously from economies of scale, Dura Vermeer, Ploegam, and Boskalis Nederland have joined forces. The result: a joint venture that will lead to significant cost savings, making electric working even more attractive.
We discussed this with five enthusiastic experts: Jeannot Marx, Project Manager Energy as a Service at Ploegam , Berend Buil, Advisor Energy as a Service at Staad , Kees Koejemans and Walter Stougie, both Energy Managers at Boskalis Nederland , and Jeroen van Wijngaarden, Program Manager Zero-Emission Equipment at Dura Vermeer .
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Staad has been offering Energy as a Service for some time, whereby the Powerboxes for Staad's electric excavators are exchanged on-site daily for a fixed weekly fee, allowing the machines to keep operating. Ploegam and Dura Vermeer had already set up several charging stations together. And contacts already existed between Ploegam and Boskalis to join forces. Jeannot: “It is precisely by helping each other that you achieve the necessary economies of scale. Only by pooling knowledge, capacity, and resources can all components be properly organized: from logistics, transport, and power supply to financial clout and sufficient volume to serve the market well. By pooling our combined consumption, we can reduce costs to a level we could never achieve individually.”
The initial impetus for collaboration dates back to the summer of 2025, when the first discussions between Boskalis and Ploegam took place. Shortly thereafter, Dura Vermeer joined. “Very concretely, our goal is to jointly handle the procurement of electricity and the associated logistics of the Powerboxes. This allows us to lower the kWh price and reduce the risk for individual contractors,” says Walter. “Actually, this pooling of resources is only logical, because on many projects we often already work together as contractors.”
Berend explains how the costs work. “Diesel arrives at one location and is distributed via a fine-meshed network for about one cent per liter. With electricity, it works differently. If there is no electricity at the location where we need it, it costs a great deal to get it there. If every contractor starts arranging their power supply individually, it becomes unaffordable. So, the more projects we can include in the power supply, the cheaper it becomes.”
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Kees explains that to make this a reality, Boskalis, Ploegam, and Dura Vermeer have established a joint venture. “We operate under the name WisselWatt. Staad is involved as the supplier of the Powerboxes. We started a pilot in January, which will last two years. We used those first few months to work out the plans. And in July, we will really get started.”
So what does that look like in practice? Jeroen gives an example: “Ploegam and Dura Vermeer are constructing a major section of dikes for a project near Tiel, as part of the national Flood Protection Program (HWBP). Under this program, all dikes in the Netherlands will be reinforced over the next twenty years. The section we are currently working on will take about five to six years. Ten to fifteen large electric crawler excavators are at work there daily. For that enormous power demand, you almost never get a permanent power connection in time.” Berend adds: “For a five-year project, it is more cost-effective to create a charging station at a maximum distance of fifty kilometers and have it used for various projects in the region; then you can share the costs, and it suddenly becomes financially viable.”
WisselWatt ensures that the Powerboxes are exchanged daily at the construction site. The Powerboxes removed from the machines in the morning are charged and can be deployed again in the afternoon. Walter: “The contractors participating in WisselWatt jointly contribute the required Powerboxes. Consequently, they are used by all three contractors. The costs and revenues of those Powerboxes are settled weekly.” There are now more than 200 Powerboxes in the pool, and this number is expected to rise to 300. Jeannot: “We try to set up our charging stations so that charging is very fast, allowing you to get back to work with a fully charged Powerbox within 3.5 hours. For us, most of the work lies in organizing and planning. Eight Powerboxes fit on a truck, and a few hundred need to be charged daily. For us, this means we have to come up with and calculate many things during the preparation phase.”
The five naturally expect WisselWatt to be a success. Walter: “We will evaluate at various points in the interim. It is important to know what the demand for Powerboxes will be in the future. That allows us to steer our strategy.”
“The demand for Powerboxes is growing enormously, and we have a continuous shortage. The challenge for us is to anticipate future needs and keep the concept as simple as possible.” Berend concludes: “Ultimately, it needs to become just as easy as ordering diesel. As WisselWatt becomes more successful and efficient, prices will drop. Contractors will then truly benefit from the advantages. And I expect that, in the long run, smaller contractors will also benefit. A promising development for the sector.”
This article was published in Grondwerk Magazine, Summer 2026 edition. Would you like to receive this beautiful magazine as well? Then click here.
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