Work starts on Scotland's first biogas filling station
The UK's CNG Fuels has broken ground on Scotland’s first public access renewable bio-methane heavy goods vehicle (HGV) refuelling station, the company said on March 25, noting the facility would help fleet operators reduce their emissions and save money.
The station near Glasgow will refuel up to 450 lorries/day when it opens in November, enabling HGVs to make low-carbon deliveries across most of Scotland. Most of England and Wales is already within a 483-km round trip of a biomethane refuelling station and the new facility will put Inverness and Aberdeen within this range.
|
Advertisement: The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) NGC’s HSSE strategy is reflective and supportive of the organisational vision to become a leader in the global energy business. |
The UK's largest bakery brand Warburtons has become the latest major fleet operator to announce it is adopting biomethane, following on the heels of Hermes, John Lewis, Waitrose and Asda. CNG Fuels estimates that biomethane is the lowest-carbon, most cost-effective alternative to diesel for HGVs, estimating that it reduces greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by up to 85% and is 35-40% cheaper. From next year, CNG Fuels will dispense fully carbon-neutral fuel by sourcing biomethane from manure.
"Fleet operators keen to cut carbon and save money are switching to biomethane in droves, and our first station in Scotland will play a vital part in our network, allowing gas trucks to make deliveries throughout Britain," CNG Fuels CEO Philip Fjeld said. "Biomethane can play a key role in helping the country meet its net zero targets and it is fitting that the station will open just as Glasgow hosts the UN Climate Summit."
HGVs account for 4.5% of total UK greenhouse gases, according to the government's department for business, energy and industrial strategy. "So decarbonising the sector is essential to meet the UK’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050," CNG Fuels said. "Bio-CNG (compressed natural gas) is the leading commercially available solution at scale to reduce these emissions."
CNG Fuels is the UK's leading bio-CNG supplier and demand from its customers is surging, with the company expecting to sell 90% more biomethane this month than in March 2020. The company currently operates six filling stations in England, and the Glasgow facility is the first of 14 it plans to build over the next two years with £80mn ($110mn) of funding from a new partnership with investment manager Foresight Group, including two more in Scotland near Larkhall and Livingston.