Ireland’s second public Compressed Natural Gas re-fuelling station opens

Ireland is a step closer to decarbonising the transport sector, with the country’s second publicly-accessible, fast-fill Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station, now open at Circle K’s forecourt in Cashel.

Located at Junction 8 off the M8 (Dublin – Cork) motorway, the state-of-the-art station has the capacity to fill 50 heavy good vehicles (HGVs) a day, with each fill taking no more than five minutes.

This new station allows hauliers and fleet operators in the region to begin the journey to carbon neutral transport by switching their fuel from diesel to CNG and ultimately transitioning to networked renewable gas in the future. Renewable gas, also known as biomethane, is the only deployable at scale, ultra-low carbon alternative fuel for use in HGVs.

The Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) category of transport merits particular attention given the potentially high positive environmental impact of HDVs switching from traditional transport fuels to alternative fuels such as CNG and renewable gas. While only four per cent of vehicles on Ireland’s roads are classified as HGVs and buses, they account for 30 per cent of all emissions in the road transport sector.

With Ireland’s first dedicated renewable gas entry point, in Kildare, now injecting biomethane into the network, renewable gas is becoming a real option for Ireland’s fleet managers and hauliers.

Ken Leahy, distribution and fleet manager, at Spar operator BWG Foods, said: “We have introduced 16 dedicated CNG powered HGV trucks to our fleet, which enables us to have a greener food and retail supply chain. Having a CNG refuelling station in Circle K Cashel in Co. Tipperary gives us more flexibility, range and route options. We look forward to more CNG stations opening across the country as we continue to invest in our greener fleet.”