GB Railfreight (GBRf) is to use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) exclusively for all its locomotives on freight services from the Port of Liverpool and the Port of Tyne to Drax power station at Selby, in North Yorkshire.

The use of hydrotreated vegetable oil comes after GB Railfreight signed a 12-month agreement with Drax that its locomotives operating at the power station would exclusively use the fuel.

By agreeing to only use HVO, GB Railfreight has taken a further step towards its decarbonisation strategy, most significantly with the recent announcement that its new Class 99 locomotives would run solely on electricity or renewable fuels such as HVO.

Marketed as one of the ‘world’s greenest fuels’, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil is produced synthetically through a hydro-treatment process that uses vegetable oils or animal fats.

When used in diesel locomotives, the amount of harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions is significantly reduced.

GB Railfreight started delivering sustainable biomass to Drax in 2016, and since then its trains have delivered over 15m tonnes of fuel from Peel Ports in Liverpool to the power station.

That has required 10,000 train journeys, equivalent to three journeys per day, and provided sufficient fuel to generate enough electricity to power up to 4 million homes and businesses.

Drax generates around 8% of the UK’s renewable energy, which accounts for approximately 4% of the country’s total electricity usage, and GB Railfreight’s services play a critical role in supporting the UK’s energy security and transition to net zero.

Originally opened as a coal-fired power station, Drax has been generating electricity since 1974. To celebrate 50 years since its opening three special “Drax 50 Years 1974-2024” charter trains ran last August, with each train using a different route around the power station infrastructure.

“We’ve had a strong relationship with Drax for over twelve years and I’m delighted that, together, we’ve agreed to use HVO to deliver our services. This is one of many initiatives within GB Railfreight’s carbon reduction plan that will support the UK Government achieve its ambitions to make the UK a clean energy superpower.”

John Smith OBE, Chief Executive Officer at GB Railfreight

“This agreement marks an important step in our commitment to sustainability and innovation in transport. By exclusively using HVO for rail services, we are reducing our supply chain emissions and supporting the transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy solutions. We are proud to continue our long-standing partnership with GB Railfreight, helping drive both energy security and the UK’s decarbonisation goals forward.”

Mark Gibbens, Head of Logistics at Drax