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United Utilities has ordered four low emission heavy goods vehicles (HGV) following a successful trial, while also exploring opportunities to use vegetable oil in place of diesel engines and boilers.
The company said the 44-tonne trucks from Iveco Stralis, which run on compressed natural gas, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to traditional vehicles. The four new additions will operate from the Davyhulme bioresource centre.
A separate trial into the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as an alternative fuel to diesel has led to the company exploring the use of HVO in other plant equipment including boilers that ran on diesel. UU said this could further reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.
UU has committed to transfer its fleet of vehicles to electricity or lower carbon fuels by 2028 as well as the water sector pledge to reach carbon net zero by 2030.
The organisation has 2,400 vehicles on the roads including large and specialist HGVs. Last year these emitted the equivalent of 16,634 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which UU said it can reduce to “nearly zero” from 2029.
“As part of our carbon pledges we have committed to running our entire fleet on electricity or alternative fuels by 2028,” said Carl Doyle, green fleet business lead at UU. “Whilst it’s an ambitious target with the size of our fleet, by continuing to trial new fuels and technologies and working with partners we’re confident that we will be able to deliver.”
The company has 27 electric vehicles across its operational sites and a further 12 electric vans ordered. Charge points at business locations and employees’ homes will installed to support the transition away from fossil fuels.
Last year the company made six carbon pledges and its carbon reduction plan was the first from a UK water firm to be recognised by the Science Based Targets initiative.
The company’s scope 1 and 2 emissions target is to reduce emissions by 42% from its 2019/20 baseline by 2030 and to further reduce this towards net zero by 2050.
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