ONE of the ESB’s largest commercial fleets in the country is being used as part of a €22m pilot project on bio-fuels at the University of Limerick.

The initial phase involves almost 100 bio diesel powered vehicles, ranging from small vans to large four wheel drive hoists, all part of the ESB Network fleet.

The bio diesel used by these vehicles is provided by Munster-based Eco Ola and is sourced from rapeseed grown as a rotation crop by Irish farmers.

University of Limerick is to monitor and analyse the performance and maintenance of the bio fuel vehicles over an 18-month period.

The trials will involve testing different bio fuel mixtures ranging from 30% bio diesel up to 100%.

It’s expected that the results will highlight the most efficient mixture of mineral diesel and bio diesel with the view to extending the use of bio fuel in its fleet.
The introduction of these bio fuel vehicles is part of ESB’s recently announced €22b investment programme, which is focused on renewables and carbon reduction.

The company is committed to halving its carbon output in 12-years and becoming net Carbon Zero by 2035.
“The introduction of Irish sourced bio fuel to the ESB fleet is one of a number of initiatives the company is currently undertaking to reduce its overall carbon output. The transport sector is a major producer of carbon emissions,” said John Campion, ESB Executive Director for Sustainability, at the launch of the initiative.

“We fully recognise that biofuels cannot alone solve Ireland’s transportation needs. We do believe however that having Irish sourced fuel for key fleets in the country will be of significant strategic importance,” Mr Campion said.
He added: “The scale of this project will allow us to make a major contribution to the development of bio fuels in Ireland. Working in collaboration with the University of Limerick, we will combine scientific expertise with practical application to produce results that are of real value to the environment”.

Professor Don Barry President of University of Limerick also welcomed the continued co-operation with ESB, a partnership that has benefited both organisations.

“I congratulate ESB on this initiative as we in University of Limerick look forward to playing our part in this important environmental project,” Mr Barry said.

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