CO2 neutrally produced lighting poles

Construction consortium VeenIX, which is widening and deepening the A9 Badhoevedorp-Holendrecht on behalf of Rijkswaterstaat, has placed an order with Valmont Structures for approximately 400 steel light poles with outriggers to light the final section of the renovated A9. According to Gerard Raes of Valmont Nederland, the lighting columns will be of eighteen different types that are CO₂-neutrally produced and excel through an extremely low MKI value.

Valmont Structures designs, manufactures and distributes products for infrastructure. "Our portfolio of custom products includes a wide range of lighting columns for streets, public areas, parking lots, highways, industrial sites and sports complexes," Raes says enthusiastically. "We also supply telecom and electricity masts, and on request we design and install so-called specials for application at airports, container terminals or at bridges and locks, for example. For the widening of the A9 between Badhoevedorp and Holendrecht, we can draw on our standard range."

Uniform light pattern

After previous requests for bids, Valmont reached a final agreement with VeenIX in March 2023 for the engineering and delivery of the lighting poles. "We are currently in full engineering mode and expect to start production of the first masts soon," continued Raes. "Our client has selected eighteen different types of masts that also vary in size, from 1 meter high to masts 18 meters high. The varying length has to do with positioning and, among other things, the sunken location. The goal is to ultimately achieve a light image in one straight line. The light masts with outriggers are all hot-dip galvanized and additionally powder coated for maximum durability."

Sustainability

Sustainability is an important factor in this project, Raes knows. "And that fits with our philosophy." Valmont has been a carbon-neutral manufacturing company since 2009 and has been certified for the CO₂ Performance Ladder at level 3. "We are also certified for the EcoVadis label, a European recognized label that assesses material sustainability impacts based on documented evidence. These efforts ensure that we can provide the masts to VeenIX CO₂-neutral with a low MKI value. And what's also great is that at the end of the project life, the steel pylons can be reused in a subsequent project." 

Valmont Structures is leading the way in this and is working closely with Mastenbank to give masts a second life by repurposing them on various projects in the Netherlands. "Governments typically calculate a 40-year lifespan for steel poles," Raes says. "Many poles survive their own project, but poles are also often replaced while they are still functioning fine due to early infrastructure modifications. Instead of recycling or even destroying discarded lighting poles, Mastenbank is committed to reuse, repair and renovation. A great initiative towards a circular economy."