Greener fuel for charity's work boat fleet

[TheBiscuits]

26 minutes ago, Heartland said:

this example seems to be a case for a revised press release where the exceptions are listed, such as commercial traffic

 

I'd have thought all CRT work boats qualify as commercial use.  The additional tax on propulsion use mainly applies to pleasure craft.

 

 

[matty40s]

4 hours ago, dmr said:

 

The article refers to the removal of the subsidy on propulsion fuel which occurred a few years ago. The words "additionally" and "propulsion" sort of indicate this.

CRT are suggesting that a partial re-introduction of cheaper (not fully taxed) propulsion fuel, as long as its HVO, would be a good thing. I think this is quite a good idea.

 

Read it again...

It hasnt affected those who liveboard at all as we can claim the discount for domestic use. It hasnt affected boaters disproportionately either, as for leisure use we now pay the same as everyone else.

The government wont be giving any tax incentives on anything that produces CO2

For electric, hydrogen cells and other magic maybe.

 

 

Additionally, the removal of the red diesel subsidy from fuel for propulsion has disproportionately affected boaters, particularly those who live aboard. The Trust believes that the government has an opportunity to offer tax incentives for greener fuels such as HVOs, making fuel duty the same of lower than standard white diesel

 

 

[Heartland]

On a related subject, the supply of HVO. There seems to a few suppliers in this market and HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acid) is also another option.

Is there a list of who actually makes HVO, I wonder.

 

[dmr]

3 minutes ago, Heartland said:

On a related subject, the supply of HVO. There seems to a few suppliers in this market and HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acid) is also another option.

Is there a list of who actually makes HVO, I wonder.

 

 

You can find a fair bit of info on the www about who is making HVO. Its currently only a handful of companies and plants but its all very new and rapidly expanding. I don't think there are any UK plants up and running yet.

[matty40s]

Good to see the greener fuel being used...cough,  cough...

[Cheshire cat]

It's not the magic bullet particularly if you care about deforestation.

[dmr]

7 minutes ago, Cheshire cat said:

It's not the magic bullet particularly if you care about deforestation.

 

HVO looks good to me and much greener than dinodiesel, but like many good things its getting very "oversold".  There is a claim of 90% CO2 reduction but this is of course not the actual CO2 coming out of the exhaust (which is not reduced) but the CO2 reduction over a period of time allowing for the CO2 used to grow/renew the feedstock. Also the reduction is very dependent upon what feedstock is actually used. The reduction might be as low as 40 or 50%, buts that still a good result.

 

There is a claimed 80% reduction in particulates but again I suspect that's optimistic, but any reduction is good.

My bigger concern is that HVO is a win-win whilst its used in smaller quantities and made from old cooking oil etc. but as it gets more popular its back to the fundamental issue of fuel and food competing.

 

Deforestation is a slightly separate issue as you could say that all beef eating and all wooden furniture could lead to deforestation, but this is only true if they are done badly.

[Cheshire cat]

The point is that HVO is made from old cooking oil, palm oil, rape seed oil and soya oil. Old cooking oil won't be available in anything like the quantities required so the alternative is chopping down virgin forest to plant cash crops. 

 

Europeans are recognising that this is wrong and avoiding purchasing products made from palm oil but have yet to wake up to the fact that the product is simply being put to other uses. 

 

Your final point is exactly where we are with palm oil and the habitat of the Orangutans. 

 

HVO looks good on all fronts on paper but less so once you start digging deeper. Of course this won't matter to governments who are merely trying to achieve their net zero commitments.

[Steilsteven]

14 hours ago, Cheshire cat said:

It's not the magic bullet particularly if you care about deforestation.

HVO being sold in the UK doesn't contain palm oil.

 

Keith

[Cheshire cat]

On 10/12/2021 at 10:35, Steilsteven said:

HVO being sold in the UK doesn't contain palm oil.

 

Keith

 

That's good to know.

[ditchcrawler]

On 07/12/2021 at 17:13, Ray T said:

PRESS RELEASE

 

7th December 2021

 

GREENER FUEL FOR CHARITY’S WORK BOAT FLEET

 

The Canal & River Trust has begun a trial of HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) fuel in its work boats. The charity sees this as a step towards zero emissions on the waterways and is supporting the fuel as a greener alternative for boats and boating businesses.

 

The Trust believes that the rapid adoption of greener fuels such as HVO would reduce carbon emissions from the running of existing boat engines in the short-term while not requiring changes in either engines or supply infrastructure.

 

The fuel is currently being trialled in the urban litter boat Berkswell in Birmingham and will start to be introduced to other craft operating out of Icknield Port, continuing until the end of March 2022. During this time, the Trust will be monitoring the effects of using the HVO fuel. Initial reports indicate that the craft is operating well, with no reported issues. If successful, there will be a gradual rollout across the whole Trust fleet from April 2022, to coincide with the withdrawal of commercial red diesel.

 

The trial is being supported by funding raised by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery through its Postcode Climate Challenge Initiative, which is supporting 12 charities with an additional £24 million for projects tackling climate change.

 

The Trust is considering the short-to-medium term solution of a switch to HVO as a milestone on the way to any more fundamental change. The Trust will be gathering feedback from fuel suppliers and boaters across the Trust’s waterways who are now supplying or using HVO.

 

Additionally, the removal of the red diesel subsidy from fuel for propulsion has disproportionately affected boaters, particularly those who live aboard. The Trust believes that the government has an opportunity to offer tax incentives for greener fuels such as HVOs, making fuel duty the same of lower than standard white diesel.

 

Matthew Symonds, national boating manager at Canal & River Trust, said: “COP26 highlighted the importance for all of us to take action to lower our carbon footprint. On the waterways, we hope that HVO will provide a ‘quick win’: a more sustainable, cost-friendly swap that will enable boaters and boating businesses to easily reduce their emissions. The trial of the fuel in our workboat fleet will provide valuable information on practicalities and performance, and we are also inviting feedback from the boating community on their experience.

 

“We are committed to working towards a zero-carbon future for boating on our inland waterways, recognising that this needs to be a collaborative effort involving boaters, businesses, local authorities and the government. Our boating customers have a very broad range of needs, and we want to find the right solutions to help them transition to zero-carbon without any significant changes to their use and enjoyment of the waterways.”

 

HVO is made from waste oils from animal fats and vegetable oil and is more than 90% carbon neutral. It has 30% lower nitrogen oxide outputs than fossil fuel diesel and can reduce particulate emissions by nearly 90%. The fuel is stable when stored for up to ten years, is free-flowing down to at least -25°C and does not attract water. It also mixes with other diesel fuels.

 

The Government has set out a legal obligation for the UK to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 though amendment (in 2019) of the Climate Change Act. In addition, a route map for achieving net zero in the maritime sector (which includes inland and recreational boating) was set out in the Clean Maritime Plan.

 

ENDS

 

For further media requests please contact:

Fran Read, national press officer, Canal & River Trust

m 07796 610 427 e fran.read@canalrivertrust.org.uk

From Damian's  latest input its only in one boat at the moment so £100 should have covered it.

 

Where is it being trialled?

The fuel is currently being trialled in the urban litter boat Berkswell in Birmingham and will start to be introduced to other craft operating out of Icknield Port, continuing until the end of March 2022. During this time, we will be monitoring the effects of using the HVO fuel. Initial reports indicate that the craft is operating well, with no reported issues. If successful, there will be a gradual rollout across the whole fleet from April 2022.