This is good news for businesses today who are looking to make the transition to more sustainable, cleaner fuel for their heavy goods vehicles. Flogas, part of DCC plc, is today announcing the official opening of the Republic of Ireland’s first ever dedicated Bio-CNG refuelling self-service station.

Flogas, a commercial and industrial energy supplier and supplier of renewable biomethane to transport in Ireland, said this new self-service station will support large companies who want to make the switch to Bio-CNG and reduce their Scope 3 emissions.

Located at FoodCentral in St Margarets North Co. Dublin, this 2,900 square metre site can refuel up to 50 HGVs per day from one dual sided high-speed dispenser. When the station is at full utilisation, it will cut over 9,000 tonnes of C02 emissions per annum compared to diesel fuelled HGVs.

The news comes after the Government recently published its new National Biomethane Strategy to support the delivery of up to 5.7 Tera Wat Hour (TWh) of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030. Bio-CNG will support the decarbonisation of Ireland’s road haulage sector, responsible for 20.7%[2] of the total road transport emissions in Ireland.

The renewable fuel for the station will come from Irish and European anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. Flogas is the only energy supplier in Ireland approved under the Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme for the supply of Bio-CNG. The Renewable Gas Certification scheme ensures transparency and accountability, as the biomethane will be meticulously tracked in the supply chain.  This dedicated Bio-CNG station is another renewable market first for Flogas having already been the first energy supplier in Ireland to supply biomethane through the gas network to Diageo in 2020.

“As we stand at the forefront of Ireland’s sustainable energy revolution, Flogas is proud to unveil the Republic of Ireland’s first ever dedicated Bio-CNG refuelling self-service station,” said John Rooney, Managing Director at Flogas. “Bio-CNG represents not just a fuel, but a promise—a promise of a greener, more efficient future for commercial transportation. Bio-CNG for heavy goods vehicles can cut carbon emissions by up to 90% and can reduce the lifetime vehicle costs compared to diesel vehicles, which is in line with DCC’s strategy – Cleaner Energy in Your Power.   We would encourage any business thinking of making the switch to Bio-CNG to get in touch with our dedicated team of energy experts at Flogas,” he added.

Speaking at the official opening, Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications Ossian Smyth TD, said: “Flogas’s Bio-CNG refuelling station will play a central role in supporting businesses who want to switch to cleaner, greener fuel and cut carbon emissions. There are approximately 40,000 HGVs in Ireland – the vast majority are diesel powered. But we also know 45% of HGVs on our roads right now are 10 years or older[3]. This presents a great opportunity, as we know more businesses who want to become more sustainable are replacing vehicles at the end of their life service with lower emission alternatives, such as Bio-CNG. By making the switch to Bio-CNG, we have the power to drastically reduce emissions in Ireland, paving the way for a cleaner, healthier future for all.”

Operated by Certa :  Certa currently operate a network of 49 pay@pump forecourts and 29 home heating depots, is a sister company to Flogas, this self-service station will offer convenient access to Bio-CNG 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will support companies with existing Bio-CNG HGV fleets and those looking to make the switch.

Flogas already supplies renewable biomethane to four Circle K refuelling pumps across Ireland. As experts in gas distribution, Flogas saw an opportunity to provide a well to wheel solution for the transport sector.

This is a new business division and Flogas plans to roll out more Bio-CNG stations with its industrial and commercial customers in the future, to support them with their Scope 3 emissions reduction plans.

The new Flogas Bio-CNG refuelling self-service station is supported by Gas Networks Ireland’s Causeway project, which has to date delivered a network of high capacity fast-fill CNG stations nationwide, developed a renewable gas injection facility, deployed a fleet of CNG vehicles and made a CNG vehicle fund available to businesses in Ireland.

Demand showing strong growth

Gas Networks Ireland’s latest gas demand report shows that demand for renewable gas in transport from Ireland’s road freight sector is continuing to show strong growth – in May 2024, demand for this low carbon alternative to diesel saw another significant year-on-year increase, up 28% on the same month last year.

Gas Networks Ireland’s Head of Business Development, Karen Doyle said:

“We are delighted to support Flogas in the opening of the Republic of Ireland’s first dedicated BioCNG refuelling station, part of our Causeway Programme, which will play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions from the commercial transport sector. With three more public stations in development, we are delivering a network of stations offering a low carbon fuel alternative to diesel for Ireland’s commercial fleet” 

If you are a large enterprise and would like to learn more about how you can switch your fleet to sustainable Bio-CNG, please call 01 884 9400 or email enterprise@flogas.ie

ENDS

[1] The fossil fuel comparator for renewable liquid and gaseous transport fuels of non-biological origin and recycled carbon fuels should be set at 94 gCO2eq/MJ in line with the value set out for biofuels and bioliquids in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32023R1185

[2] Source: Ireland’s Road Haulage Strategy 2022-2031 https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/7e926-irelands-road-haulage-strategy-20222031/

[3] Source: Ireland’s Road Haulage Strategy 2022-2031 https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/7e926-irelands-road-haulage-strategy-20222031/

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BioCNG for Heavy Goods Vehicles

Flogas Enterprise and Circle K have joined forces to offer carbon neutral fuel called BioCNG at its public stations for the first time in Ireland to businesses using heavy goods vehicles. The first fuelling stations to offer this renewable fuel are in Limerick, Cashel, Clonshaugh and Dublin Port. The move is another step forward in reducing emissions from Ireland’s transport industry – one of the most difficult industries to decarbonise.

It comes after Flogas Enterprise signed a contract with Circle K to supply biomethane which can be compressed into a renewable fuel known as BioCNG at its fuelling stations across Ireland. BioCNG is currently available in Ballysimon Road, Limerick, Cashel Co. Tipperary, and Clonshaugh and Dublin Port in county Dublin.

Decarbonising Ireland’s transport industry

The move is another step forward in reducing emissions from Ireland’s transport industry – one of the most difficult industries to decarbonise.

“Ireland’s commercial transport fleet makes up just 3% of vehicles on the road nationwide yet is responsible for approximately a fifth of transport’s carbon emissions.  Heavy Goods Vehicles or HGVs operating on 100% BioCNG can achieve significantly less carbon emissions,” said Barry Murphy, Commercial Director of Flogas Enterprise.

“At Flogas Enterprise, we are fully committed to supporting large enterprises, on their journey to sustainability. Our contract with Circle K comes at a time where we are observing an ever-increasing number of commercial fleets converting to CNG and BioCNG on a global scale. While electricity is a proven alternate fuel for cars, electric solutions are currently not a viable option in heavy goods vehicles, however CNG and BioCNG are, and are now being used by businesses throughout Europe. We are excited to work with Circle K to support the decarbonisation of the transport network in Ireland, by offering this carbon neutral fuel to fleet operators in Ireland,” he added.

“We estimate that since BioCNG has been available at the four Circle K outlets, almost 4,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, have been saved, that’s equivalent to over 40,000 carbon neutral kilometres,” said Brian Connolly, Senior Fuels Manager, Circle K Ireland.

 “Working with Flogas Enterprise, we began making a low carbon fuel alternative for commercial vehicles available with the introduction of compressed natural gas (CNG) in 2022. While CNG can reduce a HGV’s emissions by up to 22%, BioCNG can reduce a HGV’s emissions by almost 100%,” he added.  

Circle K is the first public company to offer biomethane/BioCNG to the public at their stations. The biomethane is sourced at Green Gas Generation’s Anaerobic Digestion plant in Nurney, Co Kildare.

Flogas Enterprise (part of DCC plc) was the first supplier in Ireland to supply biomethane through the gas network to companies like Tesco and Diageo and are now delighted to bring this renewable biomethane (BioCNG) to the transport sector in Ireland.

What is BioCNG (Bio Compressed Natural Gas)?

Structurally identical to natural gas, biomethane is a carbon neutral renewable gas that can be made from farm and food waste through a process known as anaerobic digestion. An anaerobic digestion machine converts agricultural waste into energy, helping reduce carbon emissions from agricultural waste. Farmers, for example, take manure from the farm, and put it into the machine’s tank; micro-organisms digest it and produce biogas which is used to generate electricity and heat. The resulting purified methane is then compressed and used as a transportation fuel. This is known as BioCNG.

BioCNG is almost an 100% clean fuel made from waste and is, therefore, a sustainable alternative for fossil natural gas. Driving on BioCNG is not only beneficial for reducing CO2 emissions, but it can also save you on your fuel costs. CNG stands for Compressed Natural Gas, it is a natural gas compressed down to less than 1% of its volume.

Ireland’s 2022 Climate Action Plan has a target of 5.7TWh/yr of biomethane on the national gas network by 2030 which equates to approximately 10% of demand.

Find out more about Flogas Enterprise BioCNG for Heavy Goods Vehicles here.

This story was also covered by RTE, and Checkout Magazine:

BioCNG fuel now available to Heavy Goods Vehicle users, RTE

Circle K Installs Carbon Neutral Fuel Across Select Forecourts, Checkout Magazine

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Reducing commercial emissions with Bio CNG

Transport accounts for 1/5 of the global carbon dioxide emissions emitted with 75% of this coming from road vehicles. So, reducing the carbon emissions of the transport sector has been labelled as a major steppingstone to reducing overall emissions production. (source: https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-transport).

HGVs produce 20% of Ireland’s vehicle emissions

Of all the vehicles on the road in Ireland, 3% of these vehicles produce 20% of the emissions. These are the Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) and bus fleets. This represents a huge opportunity for Ireland to make a difference in reducing our Co2 emissions over the coming years.  Even by achieving a 25% conversion rate from diesel to Bio CNG, there is potential to eliminate 676,000 tonnes of CO2 using renewable gas which is the equivalent to removing 360,000 diesel cars.

Alternative solutions for HGV fuels in Ireland

Renewable biomethane production is increasing in Ireland and will grow over the coming years. Getting access to this biomethane will be of huge significance to making an environmental impact on our transport emissions. Biomethane will be a key source for Bio CNG in the coming year, as using renewable biomethane will have a massive impact on emission targets for the transport and other sectors.

As a roadmap for the transport sector, it is possible that hydrogen may become the primary fuel for transportation at some point in the future.

Bio CNG is filling the gap

Ensuring strong use and uptake of Bio CNG for transportation in Ireland now helps create a bridge to a hydrogen future.  Bio CNG is a first step and a roadmap to this scenario.

Flogas Enterprise supplies 100% renewable energy and works with various stakeholders to ensure a clean energy future for Ireland working with our customers in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK with a renewable energy strategy that suits their business needs.

Find out more about our Compressed Natural Gas and Bio CNG solution here.

Contact the team and learn how we can help you meet your energy needs: info@flogasenterprise.ie; + 353 1 884 9400.

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