Glenfiddich to power delivery trucks with onsite biogas fuelling stations

WGS claims that

The closed-loop approach to refuelling has seen Glenfiddich’s parent company William Grant & Sons (WGS) install bespoke fuelling stations at its Dufftown distillery in north-eastern Scotland. Technology has also been installed to convert production wastes and residues in low-carbon biogas that power converted trucks that transport Glenfiddich spirit.

WGS’s distilleries director Stuart Watts said: “It has taken more than a decade for Glenfiddich to become the first distillery to process 100% of its waste residues on its own site, then to be the first to process those residues into biogas fuel to power its trucks, and finally to be the first to install a biogas truck fuelling station supplied by our on-site renewable energy facility.”

WGS claims that, across the entire production lifecycle, the biogas reduces carbon emissions by more than 95% and other harmful particulates and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99% when compared to diesel and other fossil fuels.

Each of the trucks will displace up to 250 tonnes of carbon annually. WGS will scale up the biogas solution across its entire transport fleet and is planning to make the technology available across the Scottish whisky industry.

Additionally, WGS is building towards wider environmental targets issued under the Scotch Whisky Association’s (SWA) action plan. SWA is aiming to deliver net-zero emissions by 2040, make all packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, reach “responsible” water use by 2025 and promote active conservation and restoration of Scotland’s peatland by 2035.

Zero-emission buses

In related news, Scotland has also welcomed its first fleet of fully electric buses that serve rural communities.

The six buses were unveiled on Tuesday (27 July) by SP Energy Networks in partnership with transport group Stagecoach West Scotland and will save around 680 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Most of the buses have been funded through a £2m share of SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund and will connect villages along the Irvine Valley with Kilmarnock town centre. Due to the length of the route, the buses will be charged using innovative methods. Scotland’s first ‘pantograph’ charging point at Kilmarnock Bus Station will provide on-route charging for the buses by supplying power through special electrical connectors built into the roof of the zero-emissions electric buses.

Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley MSP Willie Coffey said: “Launching the UK’s first fleet of fully electric buses serving rural communities around Loudoun Valley is a historic moment for East Ayrshire. Providing people with more environmentally friendly public transport and cleaner air is paramount for Scotland and Kilmarnock is leading the way for a new era of electric bus services.

“This all-electric service will help the country to develop the green transport network of the future and support jobs right here in Scotland alongside supporting Kilmarnock bus users and the environment. The major funding from SP Energy Networks to launch Stagecoach’s electric fleet will significantly speed up the transition to zero-emission buses.”

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Matt Mace