DB Cargo UK has said that all trains it operates for Drax Group in and out of the UK’s largest renewable energy plant near Selby, Yorkshire, will be powered by environmentally friendly Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). The switch from diesel to HVO is a project that the freight operator has been pursuing for some time. The compatibility of the fuel with the existing diesel engined fleet has proved a viable alternative for DB Cargo, which operates in many regions of Britain where electrified rail infrastructure is unavailable.
The Drax power station complex in the north of England generates around 8% of all electricity for the UK. The furnaces are powered by biomass, delivered by train, from ports around the north of England. Rail service provider DB Cargo UK is now moving to convert its motive power to run on a sustainable fuel too. Its large fleet is predominantly diesel powered, with around one half (about 160 units) made up from the popular class 66 designated GM-built locomotives, characterised by their sloping roofs.
Drax is a name in the UK, synonymous with the huge cooling towers of the power station complex, that dominate the landscape around Selby in Yorkshire. The complex was built in the 1960s (opened in 1970) to take advantage of the huge coal reserves and collieries in the area. It has been rail served since day one. However, in recent years, the power station has been gradually converted to burn biomass – a processed form of wood pulp – which is delivered by modified trains, using repurposed coal wagons, converted in the UK by its only independent rolling stock manufacturer, WH Davis.
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. Its contract is for a little more than half of the total supply required by the power station. Other UK operators work the remainder of the supply, with ports as far distant as Liverpool and Newcastle landing bulk loads from North America and Europe, for onward transportation.
DB Cargo UK has been experimenting with HVO for some time, and is now in a position to switch operations to the fuel. The company estimates that 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. Based on figures from the UK government’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, that equates to 30 million miles (48 million kilometres) of car journeys.
“HVO is the only credible solution to rail freight decarbonisation”
“The Government had set the rail industry a stretching target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and remove all diesel only traction by 2040,” said Roger Neary, DB Cargo UK’s Chief Sales Officer. He said the decision by Drax to adopt the use of HVO in its trains was a win-win for both companies. “The use of HVO in our trains will go a long way to helping us meet that challenge. At the same time, it will help Drax meet its own sustainability targets and minimise its impact on the environment.
The adoption of HVO is an interim measure, if Roger Neary has his calls for electrification answered. “Until a firm commitment is made to [complete] electrification of the UK network, HVO is the only credible solution to rail freight decarbonisation,” he said. “More services could be operated with HVO if the right policies and incentives were in place to enable more customers to make the switch.”
Keep the lights on for millions of homes
The switch by Drax to less-dense biomass products for feedstock means the complex requires even more wagon loads to be delivered. Bruce Heppenstall, Plant Director at Drax Power Station, said rail freight was already a more sustainable method of transporting the pellets than by road, taking some 192,000 heavy goods vehicles off the UK’s network each year. “Drax Power Station uses high volumes of biomass to keep the lights on for millions of homes across the UK. Rail freight is a cleaner and greener option for transporting this material and our partnership with DB Cargo prevents thousands of additional journeys by HGVs across the UK’s road network.”
The DB Cargo trains powered on HVO will provide around 57% of Drax’s total biomass, generating enough renewable electricity to power almost 2.3m homes, equivalent to all of the households in Yorkshire and the Humber region.