DB Cargo UK delivers HVO-powered services for Drax

DB Cargo UK has announced that all trains it operates for Drax Group in and out of the UK’s largest renewable energy plant near Selby will be powered by Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

Drax Group, the UK’s leading producer of renewable energy, has taken the decision to switch to the 100% renewable fuel as part of its ongoing programme to reduce its carbon footprint.

DB Cargo UK, currently transports around 4.5 million tonnes of biomass pellets to Drax Power Station each year, operating around 60 trains a week – approximately 3,000 trains a year – to the site.

It is estimated that by switching from traditional red diesel to HVO will reduce rail freight carbon emissions by up to 90%, saving over 12,000 tonnes of carbon each year equivalent to 30 million miles worth of car journeys.

The DB Cargo trains powered on HVO will provide around 57% of Drax’s total biomass, helping the global energy leader produce enough renewable electricity to power almost 2.3m homes, equivalent to all of the households in Yorkshire and the Humber.

HVO is marketed as ‘one of the world’s purest and greenest fuels'. It is synthetically made through the hydro-treatment process from vegetable oils or animal fats which significantly reduces harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions when used in diesel vehicles and machinery.

It is derived from 100% waste products and no virgin products are used in its manufacture.

DB Cargo UK’s chief sales officer Roger Neary said the decision by the company to adopt the use of HVO in its trains was a win-win for both companies.