Biomethane refuelling station for HGVs opens in Wales

ReFuels has announced the opening of its 13th low-carbon refuelling station – the first station of its kind to open in Wales.

The new site, with 12 pumps capable of refuelling more than 500 HGVs daily with renewable biomethane – derived from food waste and manure.

The site in Bangor, located just off Junction 11 on the North Wales Expressway, will serve major trucking routes connecting north Wales to England and opens up routes to Ireland through the nearby Holyhead Port.

Philip Fjeld, CEO and co-founder of ReFuels, said: “As the first station to open in Wales, our Bangor site serves a critical transport route for fleet operators, enabling low-carbon deliveries between Wales, England and Ireland for the first time.

“Every day, fleets – spanning major brands to local hauliers – are slashing emissions by over 90% using our fuel.

“Our nationwide network of refuelling stations has turned net zero ambition into a reality for fleets across the UK, and with our plans for 30-plus new stations by 2026, we’re just getting started.”

The new station is a joint venture between CNG Fuels, the infrastructure arm of ReFuels, and sustainability-led investment management company, Foresight Group.

Growing demand for alternative fuel

Demand for bio-CNG from fleet operators is increasing. In July 2023 alone, ReFuels saw an 80% increase in fuel dispensed compared to the same period in the previous year.

The company supports more than 80 major fleets, including DHL, Royal Mail, Warburton’s, Lidl, Amazon and Waitrose.

Glen Morgan, operations manager at Dixon Transport – one of the companies planning to use the new station, said: “Already, a number of our HGV’s have travelled over a million kilometres on low-carbon, 100% renewable biomethane and thanks to CNG Fuels’ growing network of public access stations, we’ll be going even further.

“CNG Fuels’ newest station in Bangor brings far more than convenience - it is a strategically important location, opening up routes to and from Holyhead, for both Irish and UK fleets. 

“We now have a fleet of 22 bio-CNG trucks, operated by both Dixon Transport and Carna Transport, and they have been an invaluable addition to our fleet, helping us to slash emissions by up to 90% versus our comparable diesel HGVs.”

To meet the growing demand for low-carbon, renewable bio-CNG, ReFuels is aiming to open between 30-40 new stations by 2026, with a total capacity to refuel 15,000 HGVs every day, and dispense more than 600,000 tonnes of renewable biomethane annually.

The company is also preparing for a multi-fuel future, with plans to host hydrogen trails across CNG Fuels’ sites, to ensure that when different technologies develop and become commercially viable, the infrastructure is ready to support.

As part of the HyHAUL consortium, CNG Fuels is working alongside industry to deliver the largest hydrogen mobility corridor in the UK.

The group has one more station under construction in Aylesford in Southeast England and expects two further stations to commence construction during the financial reporting year ending March 31, 2024.