Because there is no planet B...

SOME numbers for consideration. In 2018, road transport accounted for 91 per cent of the UK’s domestic transport emissions. Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) accounted for 17 per cent of this. HGV traffic went up from 15.5 billion miles in 2012 to 17.1 billion miles in 2018. 2050 is the target date set by the UK government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero. It maybe seems a long way away, but action really needs to start now.

Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport, has said: “Success will require the sector and its users to embrace new technology and innovation like never before. We believe the transport sector is ready to step up and meet those challenges.”

We are in the right industry to assist. As we all know, forests sequester carbon by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and transforming it into fibre and biomass through photosynthesis. Sequestered carbon is then accumulated in the form of harvested forest products, biomass, deadwood, and in forest soils. Foresters have literally become ‘carbon traders’ and the sector has enviable low-carbon credentials, compared with many other industries.

However, this good news story is spoiled a little when you consider how much diesel is utilised in the timber harvesting supply chain. I first reviewed the use of low-carbon alternative fuel technology back in 2010, when the El Forest F14 Volvo-supported hybrid forwarder was being pioneered in Sweden. Today we have the impressive Logset 12H GTE hybrid harvester, currently available on the market.

Meanwhile, vans and smaller commercial vehicles are becoming increasingly electrified, but to date, large HGVs, while being trialled hard and shown off by the likes of Tesla, have certainly not been easy to crack. They are getting nearer, however. Check out the aptly named Nikola Tre, which offers an impressive 644 hp, a 250-mile range and may be available for purchase in 2022.

But back to reality and moving away from electric, how about a modern fuel for HGVs that is available now and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 per cent compared to diesel?

If you had read that a few years ago you may have dismissed it, but natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel, is expected to be the fastest-growing fuel source in future-looking scenarios and is noted as the cleanest fossil fuel in the energy system across the power, transport and heating sectors. Vehicles running on LNG produce lower levels of toxic emissions and air pollution than equivalent diesel engines, with up to 20 per cent lower CO2 emissions from tank to wheel. The air quality of LNG vehicles meets Euro 6 requirements which offer reduction in NOx by 50 per cent and PM by 80 per cent in the upgrade from Euro 5 engines.

These credentials impressed Adam Spratt of South West-based haulier SAS Logistics. SAS was started by Adam’s father Stephen in 2002 as a single-vehicle owner-driver operation and, through hard work and dedication, it has successfully grown to a fleet of 10 artic tractor units and 22 trailers of mixed application, including timber-spec flats, curtainsiders and skeletal trailers.

Their main operational area is South Wales and south-west England, along the M4 corridor to London and down the M5 and surrounding areas into Devon and Cornwall. As well as hauling around 700 tonnes of roundwood per week, it handles peat and horticulture products, finished timber, construction materials and scrap metal.

It was while reviewing plans for a biomass business to run alongside his haulage operation that Adam considered an LNG truck to “complete the loop with some of the low-carbon energy products we are hauling” and to promote SAS Logistics to the forestry, timber and renewables industries. Adam also notes: “Leading factors into selecting an LNG solution were being forward thinking as both a business and individuals, trying to break the stereotypes of our industry and to do what we can as a business to reduce our environmental impact over our next five-year planning period.”

The HGV Adam was specifying to make the business climate friendly was not just to be a show pony, though. It had to earn its keep alongside the rest of the fleet, which is a mix of Volvo, Scania and DAF, mainly running Tag axles.

Volvo Wales and West in Avonmouth is the main dealer locally and is a regional specialist in looking after LNG vehicles for Asda and B&Q. As ever with any procurement decision, the provision of a solid support and back-up service was crucial, and this was another major factor in going with the Swedish marque.

As were the fuel savings. Adam went on to note: “On delivery in March, the price of diesel was still relatively high, and before COVID-19 kicked in there was a significant difference between LNG price per kg and diesel PPL. We haven’t seen a drop in LNG pricing like we have Diesel, but undoubtedly when things become more normal this should stabilise.”

Normally, the significantly lower price of LNG means it can deliver substantial annual fuel savings. A good comparison is that approximately 0.72 kg of LNG is the equivalent of one litre of diesel in terms of energy.

Natural gas vehicles have a higher initial purchase cost. Naturally, payback timing will depend on factors such as vehicle type, fuel consumption and, of course, annual mileage. With the fuel savings offered by natural gas vehicles, this means SAS is looking at a minimum three- to four-year period to recoup the additional expenditure of around £50k compared with a standard truck.

So we have learned about the costs, but are there really some impressive savings to be made for the environment? Well, LNG is harder to ignite than diesel (though diesel is still used on many LNG vehicles to ignite the gas between 5–10 per cent) and is less of a fire hazard than many commonly used fuels. LNG is not held under pressure, which greatly reduces the likelihood of explosions. LNG is non-toxic and non-corrosive and will not pollute land or water resources in the event of a leak. This is a major benefit when working on forestry and sensitive rural sites, where a diesel spill incident is most unwelcome.

Some other points to consider:

• Natural gas vehicles meet stringent Euro 6 requirements for NOx. This is the particulate matter, the nasty stuff, the harmful microscopic component of air pollution that penetrates deeply into the lungs.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the principal greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, are reduced by up to 20 per cent.

Refuelling LNG is just like filling up at a regular service station and the time taken to refuel an LNG vehicle takes no longer. However, a current constraint is that there is as yet no nationwide filling station network for either LNG or hydrogen in the UK. This compares to a drastically different situation in the Benelux states, France and Spain, which are well provided with LNG infrastructure.

Although there is a growing network for LNG in the UK with a combination of both public and private refuelling, in the meantime SAS will operate the LNG Volvo on a return-to-base plan. The vehicle has a range of around 400 miles on a tank, so can reach the Plymouth/Launceston area to the south-west and return home with roundwood over similar distances.

In the maritime sector, the global shipping fleet now consumes around four million barrels per day of high-sulphur fuel oil, so change is required and is coming. As LNG consistently outperforms traditional bunkered fuels on a local emissions basis and in greenhouse gas performance, as shipping (vessels) adopt LNG there could potentially be fuel storage and availability at UK ports. A blue-sky-thinking example of this could be a tie-in with shipping activity at busy timber hubs such as Troon and Corpach.

Associated British Ports manager Stuart Cresswell said: “With the push toward LNG gaining momentum, it would seem entirely sensible for ports to explore the potential of this technology to further reduce CO2 emissions from the industry.”

The government believes the transport sector is ready to step up and meet these emission-reduction challenges as we head towards 2050, and to this end I believe the forest industry should be looking at progressing a decarbonisation plan in readiness.

Meanwhile, I hope the kudos of SAS being one of the first independent hauliers in the country to choose LNG will bring commercial success for Adam and his team and alignment and support from both their timber customers and others alike.

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