Chichester District Council has temporarily switched back to diesel-powered fleet vehicles following a surge in the price of renewable fuel.
In an environment panel meeting last Monday, Jonathan Brown, cabinet member for environmental strategy, explained that the local authority was no longer able to cover the costs of HVO, with prices having risen from 148p per litre in 2025 to 188p per litre in February this year.
‘HVO was always more expensive than diesel and, although we budgeted for its usage, the situation in the Middle East caused a sudden and substantial increase in prices, which we couldn’t sustain’, he said.
Amid the short-term changes, the council has confirmed that it will still be keeping to the overall targets established in its Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP).
The local authority has also said that a dedicated officer working group will be responsible for regularly reviewing fuel use, while the savings generated from the move will support its switch back to HVO when prices become feasible again.
A council spokesperson said: ‘HVO prices have started to fall, which is encouraging, though clearly the global situation remains unstable. We’ll have to continue to monitor the situation closely, to be financially responsible while keeping to our vital environmental commitments.’
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Photo: © Jennifer Latuperisa-Andresen.
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