Pendle News Room

This is following an investigation into the benefits of bio-gases as a synthetic alternative to diesel.

The six month pilot project, proposed by the Council’s Climate Emergency Working Group, was approved by councillors at the October Policy and Resources Committee.

It is hoped that the switch from diesel to hydrogenated vegetable oils (HVO) can lead to substantial reductions in CO2.

David Walker, Pendle Council’s Environmental Services Manager, who led on the research for this pilot project explained:

“Eco-friendly fuels have many benefits, particularly a reduction in the harmful emissions produced by other fuels such as diesel.

“The use of HVO also improves performance over diesel in cold conditions and leads to a reduction in engine noise.

“Go Plant Fleet Services have been a big supporter of our efforts and provided a fuel tank for our depot to help us during our pilot phase.”

Emission savings are about 2.30kg per litre lower than diesel and would provide a significant carbon saving of over 500,000 kg of CO2 annually across the whole fleet.

Aidan Stephenson, the Council’s Climate Emergency Officer, said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to make this commitment to reducing harmful emissions from our vehicles.

“The change will help to ensure that the Council meets its target to reduce emissions from our fleet, enabling sustainable travel, as set out within the Climate Emergency Action Plan.”