Council to cut a fifth of fleet emissions through HVO

North Ayrshire council has converted 36 refuse collection vehicles to run on the alternative fuel in a move to decarbonise.  

This initiative is expected to save roughly 2,529 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next 12 months. 

The vehicles will use approximately one million litres of HVO throughout the next year.  

Councillor Tony Gurney, cabinet member for green environment and economy, said: “As a local authority, we are continually striving to reduce our carbon footprint and ensure that climate change and sustainability are at the heart of the decisions we make. Using HVO will help to make a significant impact, cutting the overall reduction of fleet-produced emissions by more than 20%.” 

The Scottish government hopes to phase out the need for new petrol or diesel vehicles in public sector fleets by 2030, and end the sales of diesel HGVs for vehicles between 3.5 and 26 tonnes by 2035. 

Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) 

HVO is made from waste cooking oil, animal fat and forestry materials that are thermochemically treated with hydrogen. 

It is also known as “renewable diesel” and can be used as a drop-in fuel – meaning that no changes to the engine or infrastructure are needed.  

It has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90%.  

Darren Holloway, commercial director for energy solutions at Certas Energy, said: “We are thrilled to be fuelling the transition to net zero for North Ayrshire Council, who are one of a growing number of public sector organisations switching to HVO.  

“Demand for HVO is growing year-on-year across the UK as more organisations are understanding the sustainability benefits of switching to this fuel. We anticipate this trend to continue for the next decade, and the public sector will be a key driver for this.”