CNG Fuels announces hydrogen lorry trials

CNG Fuels has announced plans to host hydrogen fuel trials across its UK network of biomethane refuelling stations to support the future decarbonisation of HGVs.

The company currently operates seven public access bio-CNG refuelling stations and plans to open at least 12 more every year from 2022. By 2026 it plans to have 60 stations in operation.

As part of its ambitions, CNG has launched a new branch called HyFuels which it has established to identify the best hydrogen production pathways and infrastructure solutions for HGVs.

The first trials are set to begin in mid-2022 and by 2025 the company said it plans to allocate 100 acres of its land to public access hydrogen refuelling.

CNG said HyFuels is already in advanced discussions with major international providers of both hydrogen and the infrastructure needed to provide it to deploy their first trials.

A number of hydrogen-ready mobile refuelling units which can quickly deliver hydrogen to refuelling sites on demand will be among the first initiatives.

Philip Fjeld, chief executive of CNG Fuels, said: “HGVs alone account for 5% of all UK emissions, making their decarbonisation one of the single most important things the UK can do to meet our net zero ambitions.

“Renewable biomethane is and will continue to be the most effective decarbonisation solution for heavy transport for many years. However, we have launched HyFuels to ensure we are ready to support our customers’ journey to a multi-fuel future as new technologies become commercially viable and the fuel readily available.”

As well as using the results of the trials to inform government and industry on the effectiveness of different hydrogen solutions, the company is also planning to incorporate the findings into a wider business strategy, with a complete roadmap for companies to switch fleets from diesel to net zero fuels.

Baden Gowrie-Smith, chief financial officer of CNG Fuels and head of hydrogen development for HyFuels, added: “We build our sites with our customers’ future needs in mind, acquiring additional space so we can expand as demand grows. This means up to 30% of our future land will be perfectly placed to deploy multi-fuel trials on some of the busiest haulage routes in the UK.

“As soon as these technologies are viable, we will be ready to support our customers in adopting the latest and greatest in low carbon technology. With increasingly aspirational decarbonisation targets set by government, our role is to support fleets in their journey to net zero, making it as simple and affordable as possible.”

Hygen Energy

Meanwhile, global consulting firm Wood has agreed a deal with Hygen Energy to accelerate the production of green hydrogen for decarbonising transportation.

Wood will develop solutions for future hydrogen plants across the UK, beginning with the conceptual design for a facility at Herne Bay in Kent.

The Herne Bay facility, expected to commence production by mid-2023, will generate green hydrogen from existing offshore windfarms to be used in transport in the South East. When finished the plant will have a production capacity of between eight and nine tonnes of green hydrogen per day.

Craig Shanaghey, president, operations across Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “At Wood, we are committed to working with our clients to tackle global energy challenges and we know that producing hydrogen – economically and at pace – will be critical as we transition to a more integrated, lower carbon energy mix.”

Jo Bamford, founder and executive chairman of Hygen Energy, said: “We’re proud to be working alongside a company with as much expertise and hydrogen knowledge as Wood. They share our belief that the acceleration of green hydrogen production is vital if we are to drive the hydrogen economy forwards in the UK.”