5 highlights of 2022 in construction, energy and transport

23 December 2022 - Projects update and handover - France

What key trends and figures should be remembered from 2022 in the construction and public works, energy, and air and road transport sectors? Apprenticeship, electric transportation, decarbonisation of the aviation sector... here is an overview of the highlights before this year ends.

Weakened by soaring energy and raw materials prices (for example +19% in the case of cement), construction companies are facing production and supply difficulties: longer lead times, shortages, rising production costs, etc.
Despite this, strong growth remains (+6.3%).
In the first half of 2022, VINCI Construction maintained good business levels, buoyed by its stronger international footprint.

With 83,000 apprentices in training, construction and public works represent 20% of apprenticeships in France, all sectors combined. This figure has improved in the last 4 years thanks to government initiatives – in the form of incentive schemes – training organisations, businesses, and the increasing number of training courses offered.
For example, more than a year ago, VINCI launched a platform that enables young people to access the Group’s offers of apprenticeship contracts and to find relevant training courses. In short, this is a networking platform on which they can make applications directly.

These significant advances in vocational training in construction and public works have had a major impact on employment rates: recruitment of students with a professional baccalaureate has grown by 19%, of those with a certificate of professional competence (CAP) by 13.5%, and of those with higher education by 15.1%.

In 2022, a record number of new hydrogen projects were announced globally: 680, an increase of 50% since November 2021. They reflect investments of US$ 240 billion until 2030. This is revealed by the Hydrogen Council’s report Hydrogen Insights 2022.
According to this report, the next step for industry, investors and governments will be to speed up final investment decisions (FIDs) so as to launch the construction and operation of projects as quickly as possible. Another encouraging sign: the installation of electrolysers (the technologies used to produce hydrogen by breaking down water molecules without emitting CO₂) has increased by 80%.
Because the main challenge is to decarbonise hydrogen production to achieve the climate objectives set on a global scale.

In Béziers in France, Genvia, a company of which VINCI is a partner and shareholder, aims to industrialise a high-temperature electrolyser technology. The first step is to produce 300 KW demonstrators between 2021 and 2024, before building a gigafactory between 2025 and 2030.

At a meeting in Montreal last October for the assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency, 193 countries signed an agreement to achieve carbon neutrality in global civil aviation by 2050.
All stakeholders in the value chain have a part to play: airlines, service providers, passengers... and also airports. For airports, there are many things that can be done, and that are already being done: making airports renewable energy infrastructures, for example by installing solar panels, offering biofuels – and soon, hydrogen – to replace jet fuel, and so on.
Explanation: How to reduce airports’ carbon footprint?

Since September 2022, Faro Airport, for example, which is managed by ANA (VINCI Airports/VINCI Concessions), has been equipped with a solar power plant. This has a capacity of 3 MWp and produces 30% of the airport’s electricity requirements, reducing CO₂ emissions by more than 1,500 tonnes per year.

Source: ICAO

An IPSOS and VINCI Autoroutes study published in September 2022 reveals French people’s expectations concerning electromobility and the benefits seen by drivers who have already opted for an electric vehicle.
18% of respondents plan to buy within 5 years while 91% of owners of an electric vehicle regard themselves as satisfied, while more than half are very satisfied.
On the other hand, two concerns hinder the transition and the replacement of combustion engine cars: first, the purchase price, but also autonomy and recharging. 93% would thus like to see many more charging stations installed at motorway service areas.

VINCI Autoroutes is in fact speeding up the deployment of charging stations at its network’s service areas, and nearly 60% are already equipped, the target being to reach 100% by 2023.