World’s biggest biomethane refuelling station opens in Bristol

A site in Avonmouth is set to meet the growing demand for companies to cut emissions from haulage by switching to greener fuel.

CNG Fuels’ new renewable biomethane refuelling station is the largest of its kind in the world and will serve many major brands, such as Royal Mail, Warburtons, Lidl and Amazon, as they switch to a more environmentally-friendly alternative to diesel.

Located near the M4/M5 junction, the site that opened on Thursday is capable of refuelling 80 HGVs per hour from 14 high-speed dispensers.

It is set to support the decarbonisation of the UK’s road haulage sector, which is responsible for 18 per cent of total road transport emissions nationwide according to figures from the Department for Transport.

The station is expected to cut 70,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year by taking diesel HGVs off the road when it is fully utilised.

CNG bosses say the demand for renewable biomethane has increased by 1,000 per cent over the last five years as brands across the country urgently seek to cut haulage emissions in line with the country’s net zero strategy. This 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.

“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,” says CEO of CNG Fuels Philip Fjeld.

“We are rapidly expanding our nationwide network of refuelling stations, ensuring sites are strategically located across major trucking routes to make them as accessible as possible.

“The new site in Avonmouth is in a key location for many of our customers, allowing them to expand the reach of their low carbon deliveries into the South West and Wales. In addition to our expanding network, we are also preparing for a multiple fuel future to ensure that when new technologies emerge, the infrastructure will already be in place to cater to demand.”

……………………………………………

This Bristol24/7 content is made possible by contributions from our members. In February and March, we are on a mission to get to 1,000 supporter members. Membership is £5 a month and allows us to continue our important work bringing you the best stories in Bristol. If you enjoy reading our articles, please consider supporting us and join today.

……………………………………………

The company already has a network of eight renewable biomethane refuelling sites across the country and aims to build an additional 12 stations each year to cater for growing demand.

The fuel is sourced from food waste and approved under the Department for Transport’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. It is said to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent compared to diesel.

The site in Avonmouth is set to meet the growing demand for major brands to cut emissions from haulage – photo: CNG Fuels

John Dinham owns John Dinham Transport and says running the company’s fleets on 100 per cent renewable biomethane is a win-win for the business and for customers.

“It has been a huge selling point for us, especially amongst our bigger corporate customers who have pledged to reduce their carbon footprint,” says Dinham.

“We are committed to significantly reducing emissions from our fleets and renewable biomethane is the perfect solution to enable us to do so now.

“We have more biomethane trucks on order and the new site in Avonmouth puts the world’s largest biomethane refuelling station on our doorstep, making it easier than ever to refuel our fleet with Bio-CNG. As our fuel supplier, CNG Fuels’ service is second to none, they have made us feel very comfortable about investing in bio-CNG technology.”

Main photo: CNG Fuels

Read more: IPCC report: ‘An alarming warning about the repercussions of failing to act’

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: