An estimated 600 tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved after plans to transition Broxtowe Borough Council’s vehicle fleet to biofuel were given the green light.
The council’s cabinet approved £42,000 on Tuesday to make the move which will help the local authority move closer to its target to become carbon neutral by 31st December 2027.
Biofuel, in the form of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), is a premium, high quality vehicle fuel made from renewable, sustainable raw materials and is an alternative fuel to diesel.
Thirty-four vehicles within the council’s fleet are HVO compatible and based on fuel usage for 2020/21, savings of 606 tonnes of CO2 emissions could be made – the equivalent to making 2,531 round trips in a petrol car from London to Glasgow.
This represents a 74.8% reductions in the council’s fuel emissions and a reduction of 19.6% in the council’s total CO2 emissions.
‘Eight hundred and ten tonnes of carbon, which accounts for 26% of the Council’s own carbon emissions, comes from transport fuel. Investigating ways to decarbonise the fleet and reduce these emissions is a key priority for us,’ said portfolio holder for environment and climate change, Cllr Helen Skinner.
‘Whilst alternatives such as electrification and hydrogen fuel are a longer term concept, a reduction in fleet emissions can still be achieved in the shorter term through the use of alternative fuels, which require no capital or infrastructure investment.’
