Henry Boot is planning to roll out hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel across its operations following a successful trial at its plant hire business.
The trial involved Banner Plant operating part of its fleet using HVO provided by fuel distributor Certas.
HVO is made from waste fats and vegetable oils, using a hydrotreatment process that removes oxygen from the feedstocks and converts them into a stable fuel. It can replace diesel in existing engines.
Henry Boot said the pilot scheme “demonstrated strong operational performance”, was cost-efficient and saved 95 tonnes of carbon.
The contractor is now preparing to integrate HVO into “suitable areas” of its operational activities.
Serena Lang, non-executive director at Henry Boot, said: “The success of our HVO trials will see it become a vital element of our journey towards decarbonisation. The cost efficiency, fast implementation potential, and immediate carbon savings make it a practical solution that we can deploy and scale now, while also continuing to explore and evaluate a broad range of decarbonisation strategies.
“We recognise that no single solution will deliver on our net zero, energy security and business resilience goals – HVO is just one tool in our decarbonisation toolkit and is one of several important steps we’re taking on our sustainability journey. We hope that in sharing our progress, we encourage others to join us and push for transparency and ultimately, collaboration.”
Henry Boot is aiming to become net-zero carbon by 2030.
