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

The post Circle K and Flogas Enterprise offer BioCNG for Heavy Goods Vehicles appeared first on Flogas Enterprise.

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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