Issue - meetings

To seek approval for the transition to biofuel given the additional spend required to facilitate implementation. 

Members were informed that the Council had set an ambitious target of being carbon neutral by the end of 2027.  In May 2022, Members approved an additional £42k budget to transition to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in support of decarbonising the fleet and reducing the Council’s carbon footprint.  Following the approval of these funds, the price of both Diesel and HVO had increased significantly.  The result of the price escalating was that the funds approved would not cover the transition to HVO.  Consequently, the project was put on hold to allow the price to stabilise. Whilst the price was still significantly higher than in 2022, the market had now stabilised.

It was stated that the Council’s plans for decarbonisation were ambitious. It was further stated that the use of biofuel was a transitional position in the face of an environmental crisis. Different approaches were necessary and even small solutions would be useful.

RESOLVED that the transition of the fleet to HVO biofuel be approved, with the estimated additional costs being contained within existing budgets in 2023/240.

Reason

HVO is compatible with all diesel vehicles from 2019 onwards and all refuse collection vehicles, irrespective of the year of manufacture.  46% of the fleet is HVO compatible.  Based on fuel usage for 2022/23, the total tCO₂e savings each year would be in the region of 629 tCO₂e.  This represents a 77% reduction in transport carbon emissions and an overall reduction of 26% in the Council’s total carbon emissions.