Deutsche Bahn adds 57 HVO trains to German rail network

Market: Biofuels
02/09/22

German train operator Deutsche Bahn has added 57 trains that run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to its fleet in Baden-Wurttemberg, as part of a €400,000 plan to phase out diesel trains.

The HVO trains will run on the Aulendorfer Kreuz and Donau-Ostalb rail networks, reducing the CO2 emissions on the route by 90pc, according to Deutsche Bahn.

Deutsche Bahn sees biofuels as an "immediate climate protection measure", said head of regional transport Evelyn Palla. The company wants to use HVO in regional transport at other locations throughout Germany where electrification is not yet possible, she said.

Deutsche Bahn prioritises HVO made from biological residue and waste. No palm oil is used, which means no impact on food production and animal feed. A food versus fuel debate has emerged in parts of Europe, including Germany, in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

German oilseed growers' association Ufop has stressed that waste-based HVO is a short-term solution that relies on imports from outside the country and that crop feedstocks are more readily available in Germany for domestic biofuels production. Germany has no domestic HVO production, and when palm oil is banned in 2023, the supply gap it leaves will cause an increase in used cooking oil (UCO) imports from other countries if crop-based biofuels are not supported, according to Ufop.

Germany proposed a ban on crop-based biofuels from 2030 in May.

By Niamh Burns

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