Biomethane refuelling station first for Scotland

Scotland’s first public access, 100% renewable biomethane refuelling station is to open later this year, enabling fleet operators to switch their vehicles from running on diesel to low carbon fuel, supporting the drive to net zero. Located near Glasgow, the facility will be able to refuel up to 450 lorries per day. 

Sourced from 100% food waste, renewable biomethane is the most cost-effective, lowest carbon alternative to diesel for heavy good vehicles (HGVs), cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 85%, and cutting costs by 35–40%, according to CNG Fuels. HGVs account for 4.8% of Scotland’s total GHG emissions (Source: Transport Scotland, 2019); and 4.5% of total UK GHG emissions (Source: BIES, 2019).

Due to open in November, the latest addition to CNG Fuels UK network, will enable HGVs to make low carbon deliveries for customers including John Lewis, Waitrose, Warburton’s, Hermes and Asda, across most of Scotland. Most of England and Wales is already within a 300-mile round trip of a biomethane refuelling station and the new facility will put Inverness and Aberdeen within this range.

CNG Fuels’ biomethane is currently sourced from food waste but is securing supplies of gas derived from manure to create a fuel that will be carbon neutral overall from 2022.

Manure gives off methane, a GHG 28–36 times more powerful than CO₂ over 100 years, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Using methane as an HGV fuel prevents it from going into the atmosphere and reduces overall emissions. The EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) recognises biomethane from manure as a carbon negative fuel.* The UK is expected to adopt the same rules in 2022. 

*103 grammes of CO₂ are saved for each megajoule of energy generated by biomethane derived from manure, if methane is not allowed to escape in the process – Renewable Energy Directive II, p118.

Photo: CNG Fuels