OFTEC slams government stance on bioheat for not including HVO in latest study

July 28, 2020 |

In the UK, the Government’s current reluctance to support renewable liquid fuels as part of the UK’s green heat agenda is based on flawed evidence, says OFTEC following the initial outcomes of widespread field trials.

Data from an ongoing European project testing various renewable liquid fuel options across 100 sites, shows that Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) – a sustainable, fossil free fuel derived from waste – can provide a drop-in replacement for kerosene for oil heated homes.

This means little or no modification of existing oil heating systems and tanks is required for use with HVO which is already available across the UK. The trials also show that HVO can be blended with heating oil in varying degrees without issue so could be seamlessly introduced to the domestic heating market.

These findings directly contradict those of a report produced for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) by bioeconomy consultants NNFCC, which fails to consider HVO for use in heat.

Among the inaccuracies included, the NNFCC report states that, “If systems are to use blends above 30% biodiesel … converting oil-fired boilers would be more costly and complex and would most likely require a new dedicated boiler and storage tank.”

Category: Fuels

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