Work starts on biomethane refuelling station for HGVs

The first biomethane HGV refuelling station in Southeast England is a joint venture between CNG Fuels, the infrastructure arm of ReFuels, a supplier of renewable biomethane (Bio-CNG), and Foresight Group.

In a statement, Philip Fjeld, CEO of ReFuels, said: “Bio-CNG is the only fuel available today that can decarbonise the UK’s HGV fleet at the scale and pace required to meet net zero. Well over one hundred fleets across the UK are now adopting the fuel en masse and our new site in Aylesford, built on land acquired from the John Lewis Partnership, is a testament to this growing demand and the value fleet operators place on the enabling refuelling infrastructure.”

Serving major UK trunk routes including the M20 and M2, the new site is being built on land acquired by ReFuels from the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) adjacent to Waitrose’s southeast distribution centre.

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Justin Laney, general manager – Fleet at John Lewis Partnership, said: “John Lewis Partnership took delivery of its first dedicated CNG trucks in 2015 and now operates 400 CNG trucks, which is the largest biomethane-powered truck fleet in the UK. John Lewis Partnership is committed to all of its 520 heavy-duty trucks running on biomethane by 2028, and the Bio-CNG station in Aylesford is another important step towards realising this goal.”

The new site – capable of delivering 19 million kilograms of Bio-CNG annually – will add to the company’s network of 12 refuelling stations across the UK. In total, this network can refuel more than 6,000 HGVs daily, saving over 750,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions compared to diesel.

By 2026, the company aims to have 30-40 stations in operation with a total capacity of up to 15,000 HGVs refuelling per day and more than 600 million kg of biomethane dispensed annually.

Demand for Bio-CNG from fleet operators is growing; in July, 3,799 tonnes of Bio-CNG was dispensed across CNG Fuels’ stations, equivalent to an 80 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

In 2022, the government reported that transport was responsible 24 per cent of the UK’s total emissions in 2020, with HGVs accounting for 19 per cent of this total and contributing 18.6 MtCO2e.

Renewable biomethane – derived from food waste and manure by ReFuels – is said to be the lowest carbon, most cost-effective alternative fuel to diesel available to HGVs today, cutting emissions by over 90 per cent whilst providing up to a 40 per cent lifetime fuel cost saving.