Friday the 7th of September, the Nordic energy company St1 launched its renewable fuel RED95 at the Shell station at Grorud in Oslo, Norway. St1 and ASKO have entered into a partnership with regards to RED95, and ASKO was ready for fueling one of its Scania ethanol diesel trucks. The truck left the fueling station full of renewable ethanol diesel, signifying the continuation of St1 and ASKO’s joint effort to reduce CO2-emissions.
RED95 is an ethanol-based and fully renewable fuel consisting of 95 percent ethanol in addition to water and additives, making the fuel eligible for use in Scania’s ethanol-diesel engines. RED95 was first launched in Finland in 2011, and St1 produces advanced ethanol in Finland and Sweden. RED95 is now available in Norway, and first out is the Shell station at Grorud in Oslo. St1, who owns and operates the Shell stations in Norway, has for a long time worked to put in place the necessary logistics that will enable the use of RED95-fuel in the Norwegian trucking industry.
– This is an important day for St1. RED95 is a fuel with excellent emission-lowering capabilities and RED95 removes the issue of operating in a cold climate – making RED95 ideal for Norwegian conditions. The challenge has not been the product itself, but the logistics and distribution. The logistics has become cost-efficient and the first pump is now installed at the Shell station at Grorud. We are very pleased with the fact that ASKO sees the possibilities and opportunities RED95 represents, because ethanol has the biggest potential for cutting emissions in the trucking industry in a cost-efficient manner, says Simen Hauland, Key Account Manager for B2B in St1 Norway.
Given the Norwegian requirements for emission cuts, the share of biofuels needs to increase – especially in the trucking industry. RED95 is a product based on ethanol – an energy carrier that exists in large quantities. This ensures the supply security for the trucking industry and its long-term procurement agreements. The ethanol diesel RED95 is also a good alternative to HVO in the trucking industry.
– Today, the yearly production of HVO is around six billion liters worldwide. In Norway alone, the trucking industry consumes more than one billion liters of fuel yearly. HVO is sought after globally which makes it difficult for the Norwegian trucking industry to secure a stable supply. In comparison, the yearly production of ethanol exceeds 100 billion liters. This makes RED95 an excellent tool for long-term emission reductions and is why we are investing heavily in the infrastructure needed to supply this product in Norway, Sweden and Finland, explains Hauland.
Head of transport at the environmental foundation ZERO, Kari Aasheim, greets the new cooperation between St1 and ASKO welcome. At the same time she encourages the government to facilitate the use and upscaling of ethanol in the transport sector:
– RED95 is an important contribution to the efforts of reducing emissions from the trucking industry and we hope the Norwegian government grasps the opportunities for a new Norwegian bioindustry that comes with ethanol. We need a regulatory framework that simplifies emission cuts. A separate climate class in the road toll for ethanol vehicles among others, would be a simple and effective tool to achieve this.
So far Scania is the sole producer of the engines required for the use of ethanol diesel. Scania will start deliveries of their new trucks-series in 2019 with the largest engine being 410 hp. Director of Market and Communications in Scania Norway, John Lauvstad, is therefore pleased with St1’s launch of RED95 in Norway.
– The fueling station for RED95-fuel at Shell Grorud will make it easier for the customer to choose sustainable alternatives. If we are to succeed with good solutions for sustainable transportation, the renewable fuel has to be accessible to both new and existing customers. We are very pleased with St1’s commitment to RED95 and we are looking forward to working together with them on reducing the climate impact of the trucking industry.