A short handover ceremony in Fleurus, Belgium, was attended by Keiko Fujiwara, Komatsu Europe CEO and managing director, as well as by several other BIA and Komatsu top managers and by representatives from the International Polar Foundation.
The International Polar Foundation was founded in 2002 by Belgian polar explorer Alain Hubert, Professors Hugo Decleir and André Berger and seeks to bring about a keener appreciation of the role of science, particularly research in the Polar Regions. It supports polar scientific research for the advancement of knowledge, the promotion of informed action on climate change and the development of a sustainable society.
The Princess Elisabeth station in Antarctica is the only zero emission base on the Antarctic, and runs entirely on solar and wind energy through the use of a micro smartgrid. It is located on Utsteinen Nunatak in Queen Maud Land. The base is a Belgian scientific polar research station, and went into service on February 15, 2009.
The Komatsu HB215LC-1 hydraulic excavator is a second generation hybrid machine fitted with cutting-edge Komatsu technology, and id said to boast an average of 25% less fuel consumption and CO2 emissions than a traditional excavator.
The hybrid machine donated to the Polar Foundation was prepared and equipped for work at the Princess Elisabeth Station by BIA at its facility in Fleurus, Belgium. The technical manager of the station and the operator of the excavator both received technical and practical training.
The hybrid excavator has been loaded on the Mary Antartica at the port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, and is scheduled to reach its destination in Antartica on 15 January, 2014, after a stopover on 21 December in Cape Town, South Africa. The HB215LC-1 machine will then be transported to the Princess Elisabeth Station, approximately 240km away.
