It looks like biodiesel is going to be the hot topic for 2007, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that a large number of prominent UK hauliers make the switch later in the year.
I’m basing this belief on a telephone conversation I’ve just had with Greenergy – the company that will be supplying a 50% blend of biodiesel to the Tesco truck fleet. A spokeswoman told me their phones haven’t stopped ringing since the announcement that Tesco will run 2,000 trucks on biodiesel from this month.
She said: “A lot of UK fleets were sitting on the fence, wondering if there was a risk associated with it. But the Tesco news must have convinced a lot of people that the fuel is alright.”
But for the time being, the number of companies who move over to biodiesel are going to be limited by supply. Greenergy, which is part-owned by Tesco, has only just put its UK plant into full production and all initial production is destined solely for its number one customer. However it is confident that this will change in a few months when its supply and distribution networks are up to speed.