The Chief Executive of DPD Ireland which has a major logistics hub in Athlone is echoing calls for the government to lower taxation on Hydro treated Vegetable Oil.
Des Travers says the parcel delivery company made a decision to run all its trucks and vans on the alternative fuel last year, and they've installed special tanks at the Athlone hub in order to allow them to use the fuel over the last several months.
The fuel doesn't require any alternations to the engines and it has allowed the company to reduce its carbon emissions by over 80%.
When the company made the move last year the HVO fuel was around 7 cent a litre more expensive than diesel, but the drop in diesel prices now means that the company is paying 15 cent more a litre, than if they had stayed with diesel.
Speaking on the Let's Talk show this afternoon, Des Travers says the main reason behind the price difference is government taxation, and he'd like to see the government reward people for using the more environmentally friendly fuel.
It's the taxation in the main, we're paying full taxation on it and that's why the request yesterday to the government to reduce that, at least down to the same price as diesel.
From our point of view that would make a substantial difference to our business.
We have made the investment of the tanks in Athlone to allow us to do this, but you'd just wish that all the parties would come together and see the benefit of it and therefore the government would support this , it's a fairly simple thing to do and we could all then get on with increasing the amount of HVO in Ireland.'
