CORNWALL LEADING CASE FOR HVO

Camborne and Redruth MP George Eustice met with residents, community and business leaders in Kehelland recently to learn more about a nationally-leading trial of a fossil-free oil replacement.

The local church, school, businesses and homes in the village have been converted to run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), making it the first fossil-free HVO village in the country.

The trial is being run by local fuel distributor Mitchell & Webber as part of a national demonstration project together with UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association (UKIFDA) and Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC).

There are currently 1.7 million households in rural communities in the UK using conventional kerosene boilers.

Under current Government proposals, all “off-gas grid” homes in rural communities will be banned from purchasing replacement boilers from 2026 and expected to have an air source or ground source heat pump system instead.

However, such systems cost at least three times as much as conventional boilers and are inappropriate and less effective in many older properties.

Speaking at the event at Kehelland School - a 130 year-old building that has already been converted to run on HVO - Mitchell & Webber’s director, John Weedon, said: “Kehelland is unique as it has the most boilers converted to HVO in the UK, so we’re delighted that George Eustice MP is here to see first-hand how quick and easy a HVO conversion is, and how much impact it can have in the fight against climate change.”

Made from certified waste fats and oils,