Aldi is the latest major supermarket to adopt renewable biomethane-powered HGVs into its fleet as the demand for the low-carbon fuel has “skyrocketed” in recent months.
The retailer has struck a deal with one of the leading European suppliers of the low-carbon fuel, CNG Fuels, which will see it operate just over 30 CNG vehicles in the UK by the end of the year.
Aldi UK corporate responsibility director Liz Fox said the supermarket was committed to reducing its carbon footprint and adopting biomethane HGVs was “another step forward in our plans to cut emissions from our UK fleets”.
The company sources its renewable biomethane – also known as compressed natural gas (CNG) – from food waste and manure. It says the low-carbon fuel can cut greenhouse gas emissions “by over 90% whilst providing up to a 40% lifetime fuel cost saving”.
The Aldi deal comes as CNG Fuels has opened its tenth HGV biomethane refuelling station, in Castleford. The company said demand for renewable biomethane had continued to rise this year at a rate of 100% per annum, adding orders for the Iveco 6x2 model – one of the latest CNG-ready HGVs to be launched to the market – had reached “an all-time high”.
While CNG Fuels did not disclose the number of bio-CNG powered trucks on UK roads currently, it said it had doubled between June 2021 and June 2022.
The new site, located in the Normanton Industrial Estate, will give its customers – which include Aldi, Royal Mail, Waitrose and Warburtons – easier access to its low-carbon biomethane fuel in the north east of the country.
With the new station, CNG Fuels will be able to refuel 5,000 lorries across the country daily, including 500 HGVs in north east England.
The new site will contribute to the reduction of 67,500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year – or the equivalent to the annual emissions of over 40,000 cars – which will see CNG bring its total of tonnes of CO2 saved to 584,000 a year when compared with regular diesel.
“Fleet operators around the world are urgently seeking ways to cut emissions from their fleets,” said CNG Fuels CEO Philip Fjeld. “Our fast-growing network of refuelling infrastructure has made biomethane more accessible than ever before, and fleets – ranging from local hauliers through to major household brands – are dramatically cutting emissions every day.
“Our newest station in Castleford is building on our existing network, enabling low-carbon deliveries all the way from Inverness to Cornwall.”
According to CNG, HGVs account for 4.2% of UK carbon emissions. Last year, the government set out plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel HGV from 2040 as part of its Transport Decarbonisation Plan, prompting the haulage industry to find alternatives to petrol and diesel.
CNG Fuels now forecasts the demand to continue to accelerate, with around 10% of the UK’s high-mileage HGV fleet expected to run on bio-CNG by 2025.
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