text: Praise for North Devon Link Road's £60million environmentally friendly upgrade - Devon Live
  Griffiths is one of the first companies in the country to use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel which is a "green diesel"
  21:07, 16 MAY 2022
  Hedley Martin and Devon County Councillor Andrea Davis
  Contractors working on the £60 million North Devon Link Road upgrade are using a more environmentally friendly fuel as part of a series of measures to cut carbon emissions. Griffiths is one of the first companies in the country to use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel which is a "green diesel" made from waste vegetable oil or fats and hydrogen rather than methanol.
  Although it can be used in many conventional diesel vehicles, HVO produces up to 90 per cent less CO2 than regular diesel, which fully supports the carbon reduction commitments of both Griffiths and Devon County Council. The County Council has adopted an approach to reduce carbon emissions in all of its highway maintenance projects, and the measures being employed in the construction of the Link Road are a prime example. Staff at Griffiths are also using two electric vehicles on the North Devon Link Road scheme.
  Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport, said: "The County Council has declared its commitment to achieve a target of net zero carbon by 2030, and every aspect of the council's work has to play its part. Reducing carbon emissions in highway construction and maintenance is a challenge when you consider the vehicles and materials that are needed, especially on a project the size of the North Devon Link Road upgrade. However, we and our contractors are adopting pioneering approaches to ensure we can meet out carbon reduction targets – and the use of HVO fuel is making a massive difference."
  The North Devon Link Road is the first site where Griffiths is using HVO in its diesel vehicles, and the company aims to roll out the fuel to 50 per cent of its sites by the end of this year, and to the remainder by end of March next year.