Europe’s largest renewable natural gas station for HGVs opens in the UK
CNG Fuels has put into operation Europe’s largest refueling station offering low-carbon alternative to diesel for heavy transport in Warrington, UK, which can refuel up to 800 HGVs daily and serve 12 vehicles simultaneously. This new facility, along with another one recently opened in Northampton, will be capable of refueling more than 1,000 trucks a day, doubling the 600-a-day capacity of existing natural gas stations at Leyland, and Crewe.
According to CNG Fuels, demand for renewable natural gas has soared 800% since 2017 thanks to major trucking companies adopting alternative fuels, and is set to more than double this year. The company plans to add another six to eight refueling points over the next 12 months as it expands its network of biomethane truck stations to meet growing demand.
“We’re at a tipping point. Fleet operators are waking up to the urgency and scale of decarbonization necessary for net-zero emissions by 2050 and we’re seeing demand for our fuel increase rapidly as a result. Our customers ordered hundreds of new biomethane fueled trucks in 2019 and that trend is only set to accelerate over the next decade,” said Philip Fjeld, CEO of CNG Fuels. “We’re making the transition to carbon neutrality easier for fleet operators by developing a nationwide network of public access biomethane stations on major trucking routes and at key logistics hubs.”
The company also reports it has helped haulers to save 55,000 tons of CO2 since it began supplying bio-CNG in 2017. This number is expected to rise to 90,000 tons by the end of 2020, as demand is set to soar thanks to major brands such as the John Lewis Partnership, parcel company Hermes and Home Bargains committing to moving away from diesel. The new CNG Fuels station in Warrington is located at Omega South on the M62 and caters to multiple major haulers in the area. The Northampton station is located at the Red Lion Truckstop off the M1 and can refuel more than 350 HGVs per day. The site is also part of the UK’s first large-scale study of how biomethane can help to reduce road transport emissions, supported by the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles in partnership with Innovate
