Kohler Power Systems has switched the fuel usage in the diesel engines at its plant in Brest, France from fossil diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

According to Kohler, effective immediately, the 325,000 litres of diesel previously burned at the site each year will now be replaced with HVO, reducing CO2 emissions by around 750 tonnes and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%, depending on the raw materials used to make the HVO.

“Taking into account all sources of carbon emissions, including lighting and heating, the shift to HVO has enabled the Brest plant to reduce its overall CO2 emissions by up to 50%,” said Lenaik Andrieux, General Manager of Kohler Power Systems, EMEA.

Kohler said it has secured a supply agreement with a major provider to ensure a reliable source of HVO from a local storage depot near the Brest facility. The company claims that the shift to HVO at the facility should create 78% lower emissions than it would have done using fossil diesel in 2023.

This follows Kohler’s announcement last year that its entire range of diesel generators are now able to run on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).