London Gatwick Airport has reduced its own vehicle carbon emissions by 90% by replacing diesel with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).
The airport is now powering its passenger transport buses, fire engines, airside operations vehicles and snow ploughs with HVO. 300 of these vehicles will run on HVO until they are retired, at which point they will be replaced with electric vehicles.
HVO is a low-carbon biofuel made from plant waste, oils, and fats. It is sustainably sourced and a lower-carbon alternative to diesel.
London Gatwick will save more than 950 tonnes of carbon annually. “The implementation of HVO to power our vehicles is an exciting milestone for London Gatwick’s sustainability journey and a big step in our fleet transition. It is vital we invest in sustainably sourced HVO to reduce emissions in all areas as soon as possible on our journey to reach net zero for our own Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030,” said Steve Kelso, Head of Engineering at London Gatwick.
Scope 1 emissions are derived directly from a company’s operations, while Scope 2 are indirect energy emissions.