Belfast International Airport has announced it will cut its carbon emissions from diesel vehicles and emergency standby generators by 90% by swapping the fuel for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).
The switch will save more than 290 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
The move is part of airport operator VINCI’s wider sustainability ambitions to achieve net zero emission for its entire network of airports by 2050. HVO is a low-carbon biofuel made from plant waste, oils and fats making it a more sustainable and lower-carbon alternative to diesel.
All diesel vehicles will now be powered by HVO until they are retired from use and then replaced by electric vehicles or other low carbon alternatives as part of the Airport’s sustainability policy. The airport fleet includes fire appliances, airside operations vehicles and car park minibuses as well as emergency power generation, which is used during low visibility procedures.
Following a successful trial in 2023, results indicated that using HVO had no impact on the performance of vehicles, including fire engines, which still have the capacity to respond to emergency calls anywhere on the airfield within three minutes.
Kevin Napier, Compliance Manager, Belfast International Airport, said: “The introduction of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil to power our diesel vehicles and emergency power generation is a significant step along our journey to decarbonise the airport and meet our 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.
“From the buses that pick passengers up from car parks to operations vehicles that patrol the airfield, HVO is now being used to fuel vehicles throughout the airport. As we continue to grow, we are making sustainability part of everything we do here at Belfast International Airport and we are committed to finding solutions and working differently to meet our ambitious targets.”
