World’s largest public biomethane refuelling station opens

CNG Fuels has opened the world’s largest public access biomethane refuelling station in the UK.

Located in Avonmouth, just outside Bristol, the site is capable of refuelling 80 HGVs per hour from 14 high-speed dispensers.

When fully utilised, the station will cut 70,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year by taking diesel HGVs off the road, according to CNG Fuels.

The site is part of the company’s UK-wide network of eight renewable biomethane refuelling stations, enabling low carbon deliveries from Inverness all the way down to Cornwall.

CNG Fuels says it will have 20 large public access stations in operation by next year and is aiming to build 12 additional stations each year thereafter to cater for growing demand.

Demand for renewable biomethane is predicted to increase five-fold over the next five years, as the UK’s 2040 ban on the sale of new diesel HGVs approaches.

The new station is closely situated to existing customers, such as Royal Mail, Warburtons and Amazon, helping major household brands to slash haulage emissions. Lidl is the latest brand to convert its fleets to renewable biomethane.

All of the fuel supplied by CNG Fuels is renewable and sustainable biomethane, sourced from food waste and approved under the Department for Transport’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme.

Renewable biomethane is the lowest carbon and most cost-effective alternative to diesel for HGVs, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent and reducing lifetime vehicle costs by 30-40 per cent.

Philip Fjeld, CNG Fuels chief executive said: “Brands across the country are under more and more pressure to cut emissions from fleets and renewable biomethane is the only commercially viable solution on the market today.

“We are continuing to see high increases in demand and with the recent news of the 2040 ban on new diesel HGV’s, we expect the pace of demand to continue.”