UK’s first high-pressure grid connected CNG filling station

CNG Fuels, in partnership with National Grid, has unveiled a new state-of-the-art filling station in Leyland, Lancashire, UK, allowing vehicles to fill up on compressed natural gas (CNG), directly from the high-pressure local transmission system. The unveiling saw the first major customer, Waitrose, part of the John Lewis Partnership, fill up at the new facility, as a fleet of branded HGVs rolled onto the forecourt.

The new facility is the first of its kind in the UK and boasts a high-pressure connection, delivered by National Grid. The site is claimed to be capable of refuelling more than 500 HGVs per day.

Located near to junction 28 on the M6, the CNG filling station will be accessible around the clock, 365 days a year. The facility also supplies 100% renewable biomethane (Bio-CNG) and is an important part of the UK’s rapidly growing CNG refuelling infrastructure. The biomethane is made from waste at anaerobic digestion plants and delivered to the filling station through the National Grid pipeline system. Waitrose has a regional distribution centre less than one mile from the new CNG filling station and will be its anchor customer.

Philip Fjeld, Director at CNG Fuels, said: ‘Even though the price of diesel and petrol has recently plummeted, the wholesale price of natural gas has also dropped, and our customers can still enjoy a pump price of CNG at our Leyland station that is more than 30% cheaper than the equivalent price of one litre of diesel. Using natural gas also cuts CO₂ emissions by more than 20% and if fleets choose to fuel their trucks with Bio-CNG, they will be running on 100% renewable gas.’

National Grid’s Network Strategy Director, David Parkin, commented: ‘Located just off junction 28 of the M6, this new facility is ideally located for the transport sector. CNG dispensed from a station connected to the local transmission system, is the cheapest fuel available to HGVs, as well as having the lowest well-to-wheel emissions of any fossil-based HGV fuel. Whether it’s CNG or Bio-CNG, the benefits for HGVs are clear – lower emissions, quieter engine noise and competitive fuel prices, compared with traditional liquid fuels.’

Source: National Grid