ReFuels N.V. has commenced construction of a new refueling station at Aylesford in Kent. The public access bio-CNG station operated by ReFuels under the CNG Fuels brand will open additional transport routes for Southeast England, a region with a population of approximately 9.3 million.
The station at Aylesford is owned by a joint venture (JV) with Foresight Group. It will feature 12 fuel pump islands, allowing more than 500 trucks to be refueled per day with a total capacity of more than 19 million kilograms (kg) of biomethane annually.
Serving major UK haulage routes, including the M20 and M2, the site is being built on land acquired from the John Lewis Partnership adjacent to Waitrose’s southeast distribution center, enabling the retail giant to rapidly grow its fleet of biomethane-powered heavy goods vehicles, which is already the largest such fleet in the UK.
“John Lewis Partnership took delivery of its first dedicated CNG trucks in 2015 and now operates 400 CNG trucks, which is the largest biomethane truck fleet in the UK. We are delighted that CNG Fuels has started construction of a high-capacity bio-CNG station in Aylesford, where Waitrose has its southeast distribution center. John Lewis Partnership is committed to all of its 520 heavy-duty trucks running on biomethane by 2028, and the new station in Aylesford is another important step towards realizing this goal,” said Justin Laney, General Manager – Fleet, John Lewis Partnership
The current CNG Fuels network in the UK can refuel more than 6,000 HGVs daily. This equals an annual dispensing capacity of more than 264,000 tons of biomethane annually and a potential saving of more than 750,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually when compared to diesel. The year-end 2026 target of 30-40 stations in operation equals a total capacity of up to 15,000 HGVs per day and more than 600 million kg of biomethane annually.
“Bio-CNG is the only fuel available today that can decarbonize the UK’s HGV fleet at the scale and pace required to meet net zero. Well over one hundred fleets across the UK are now adopting the fuel en masse and our new site in Aylesford, built on land acquired from one of the UK’s biggest retail HGV fleets, is a testament to this growing demand and the value fleet operators place on bio-CNG refueling infrastructure”, said Philip Fjeld, CEO of ReFuels.
ReFuels has one more station under construction in Bangor, North Wales, which is due to start operations in the next months. At least two further stations are expected to commence construction during the calendar year.
Source: ReFuels
