14 May 2021
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2 min read
Credit: CNG Fuels
CNG Fuels plans to open Avonmouth refuelling station later this year to support fleet operators switching their trucks to run on biomethane made from food waste
The "world's largest" renewable biomethane refuelling station is set to open near Bristol later this year, enabling truck drivers to fill up on low carbon fuel produced from food waste, CNG Fuels announced today.
Located in Avonmouth near the M4/M5 junction, the refuelling station is geared at serving the some of the busiest freight routes in the UK, in a bid to encourage more operators of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) fleets to make the switch away from diesel fuel, according to the biomethane infrastructure developer.
Renewable biomethane provided at the refuelling station will be sourced from 100 per cent food waste, enabling fleet operators to "run their vehicles on low-carbon fuel, support net zero plans and save money", the company said. It claims the renewable biomethane is the most cost-effective green alternative to diesel for HGVs, enabling them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent while also cutting costs by around 35-40 per cent.
HGVs account for 4.2 per cent of UK carbon emissions, it said, and the Avonmouth refuelling station will enable up to 80 trucks to fill up every hour.
CNG Fuels currently runs six refuelling stations across the UK, with plans to open a further 14 by the end of 2022, citing increasing demand, which it said was growing at 100 a year at present. By 2025, the firm said it expects 10 per cent of the UK's high-mileage HGV fleet to be running on Bio-CNG fuel.
"Avonmouth is a key site for CNG Fuels' expansion across the UK," said Philip Fjeld, CEO of CNG Fuels. "Such a strategically crucial location requires our biggest refuelling station yet. This station will enable even more fleet operators and hauliers to reduce their carbon emissions and save money."
The Avonmouth station will open up potential for more low carbon delivery vehicles to begin operating across the South West of England and South Wales, including for brands such as Warburtons, Farm Foods, and Hermes, it said.
Steven Gray, Warburtons national transport manager, said switching the bread brand's HGV fleet from diesel to biomethane was "critical for reaching our transport decarbonisation goals". "CNG Fuels' new low-carbon refuelling station in Avonmouth is perfectly situated for our distribution centres in the region and will extend the range of low-carbon deliveries we can make across the country," he added.
In other developments, CNG Fuels is currently securing supplies of biomethane derived from manure to create a fuel it claims will be "net zero on a wheel-to-wheel basis". Manure gives off the greenhouse gas methane, which is 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in some estimates, and using methane as an HGV fuel can prevent this gas from being released into the atmosphere.
The EU's Renewable Energy Directive recognises biomethane from manure as a carbon negative fuel, and the UK is expected to follow suit in 2022.
