The new station means that CNG Fuels can now refuel 5,000 HGVs across the UK daily. Last year, the UK government set out plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel HGV from 2040, heightening the urgency for fleets across the country to find alternative solutions to petrol and diesel HGVs.
Renewable biomethane – derived from food waste and manure by CNG Fuels – is the lowest carbon, most cost-effective alternative fuel to diesel available to HGVs today, cutting emissions by over 90% whilst providing up to a 40% lifetime fuel cost saving, according to CNG Fuels.
The new station in Castleford can refuel up to 500 HGVs per day. The site in the Normanton Industrial Estate will put Leeds, Hull, and Wakefield within its range, serving local and passing fleets using the M1, A1 and M18.
In other news, Aldi, the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket, is the latest major brand to adopt bio-CNG HGVs and is among many other household brands, including Royal Mail, Waitrose, and Warburtons to use CNG Fuels’ newest site.
Liz Fox, national corporate responsibility director, UK at Aldi, said: “Aldi is committed to reducing our carbon footprint, and adopting bio-CNG HGVs is another step forward in our plans to cut emissions from our UK fleets. CNG Fuels’ latest station in Castleford opens the door to major transport networks into the North East, and their growing network will only continue to extend the number of low carbon deliveries that we can make across the country every day.”
Demand for the fuel from fleet operators is growing at around 100% per annum, and CNG Fuels forecasts the demand to continue to accelerate, with around 10% of the UK’s high-mileage HGV fleet expected to run on Bio-CNG by 2025. CNG Fuels has seen rapid growth in demand since the start of 2022 as the benefits of Bio-CNG begins to reach the mass market.
Orders for 6x2 IVECO trials – one of the latest CNG-ready HGVs to be launched to the market – have reached an all-time high as the market moves away from early adopting large fleets, to fleets of all sizes.
CNG Fuels plans to have 20 large public access stations in operation by the end of 2023, with sites in Newton Aycliffe and Corby entering the construction phase at the end of July 2022.
Last year the company announced plans to host hydrogen fuel trials across its sites to ensure stations are ready to support a multi-fuel future as different technologies develop and become commercially viable. The first hydrogen trails are due to begin this year and by 2025, CNG Fuels plans to allocate 100 acres of its land to public access hydrogen refuelling.