Work on Scotland’s first biomethane refuelling station has begun at a site near Glasgow.
Built by sustainable biomethane fuel supplier CNG Fuels, the station is due to open this November. Once operational it will refuel up to 450 lorries a day, enabling HGVs to make low-carbon deliveries across most of Scotland.
According to CNG Fuels, most of England and Wales is already within a 300-mile round trip of a biomethane refuelling station, and the latest facility, located at the Eurocentral industrial estate off the M8 near Bellshill, will put Inverness and Aberdeen within range.
CNG customers with depots on or close to the estate include Warburtons and parcel delivery company Hermes, which currently runs 90 gas trucks.
David Landy, head of fleet at Hermes, said: “As one of the UK’s largest CNG vehicle operators, the announcement of a bio-CNG station in Scotland is welcome news for Hermes.
“This will allow us to run our Scottish-based fleet on totally renewable biomethane fuel and push the range of our existing CNG-powered HGV fleet, so vehicles can travel between England and Scotland and take even more emissions off UK roads.”
According to Transport Scotland, HGVs currently account for 4.5% of total UK greenhouse gases, and 4.8% in Scotland. While bio-CNG is sourced from food waste, CNG Fuels said it was securing supplies of gas derived from manure to create a fuel that will be carbon neutral overall.
Philip Fjeld, CEO of CNG Fuels, said: “Fleet operators keen to cut carbon and save money are switching to biomethane in droves, and our first station in Scotland will play a vital part in our network, allowing gas trucks to make deliveries throughout Britain.
“Biomethane can play a key role in helping the country meet its net zero targets and it is fitting that the station will open just as Glasgow hosts the UN Climate Summit.”
Furthermore, the company, which currently operates six refuelling stations in England, predicted it would sell 90% more biomethane this month than in March 2020.
Eurocentral is the first of 14 further stations that are due to be built over the next two years with £80m of funding from a new partnership with Foresight Group, including two more in Scotland near Larkhall and Livingston.
