Hull City Council to be first authority in UK to use new ‘greener’ biodiesel

The fuel, known as GlobalDiesel and produced by Greenergy, the company that introduced Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) to the UK, is 5% rape seed oil and 95% ULSD, reduces carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 5%. The fuel is carbon-certified, which means that companies purchasing it will receive documentation confirming the amount of emissions reduction that they have achieved.

“We believe that actions speak louder than words and by taking the first consignment of biodiesel, Kinston upon Hull City Council is leading by example and is at the forefront of innovation,” said Councillor Daren Hale.

“The us of low carbon Greenergy GlobalDiesel is a further significant step toward continuous environmental best practice in the operation of the Kinston upon Hull City Council’s vehicle fleet,” said Fleet and Engineering Manager Garry Middleton. “This further reinforces the commitment that the council has made in this area such as the use of 50 … electric traction vehicles and the use of the very latest diesel technologies and emission control devices.”

Greenergy also states that GlobalDiesel is fully mixable with all diesels and has the same power and fuel economy as ULSD, and meets all technical specifications for diesel.

“This is a welcome development,” said Environment Minister Michael Meacher. “Biofuels will not solve all our environmental problems but they can offer a number of advantages over conventional petrol and diesel. We will be very interested to see how this fuel performs and how motorists respond to it.”

According to Greenergy, 45% of greenhouse gases emitted by vehicles come from diesel. If GlobalDiesel were to be adopted as the standard diesel fuel, there would be a reduction of 1.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Previously, Greenergy have been successful in lobbying the government for lower tax on Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel. The company now believes that Chancellor Gordon Brown will announce a cut in tax on biodiesel – the size of which will depend to the proportion of biodiesel to conventional diesel, and will equate to a reduction of a penny per litre on GlobalDiesel.