New Bio-LNG refuelling station installed at food distribution business

A new Bio-LNG (liquified natural gas) refuelling station has been installed by one of the UK’s largest food distribution businesses, Reed Boardall.

Owned and operated by Gasrec, the station has been installed at Reed Boardall’s Boroughbridge headquarters to fuel an initial fleet of 30 Volvo FH LNG 6×2 tractor units.

The opening of the site is part of Reed Boardall’s strategy to transition its 220-strong fleet away from diesel.

Graeme Richardson, managing director of Reed Boardall Transport, said: “The government has set stringent targets to reduce carbon emissions by 2030 and we are determined to play our part and meet those goals.

“We pride ourselves on being a forward-thinking, sustainable operation. Volvo’s LNG trucks are proven to vastly reduce CO₂ emissions and we have been very impressed with the performance and reliability since putting the trucks on the road in March 2020.

“Opening this site reaffirms our commitment to moving the fleet towards a cleaner, more environmentally-friendly fuel.”

According to Gasrec, Bio-LNG-powered trucks can return CO₂ savings of up to 95%, a 99% reduction in particulate matter and 90% in NO₂ emissions compared with equivalent Euro VI diesel trucks. HGVs running on gas are also around 50% quieter than their diesel equivalents.

Reed Boardall is also planning a further station to be installed in Scotland later in the year to support a further 40 new Volvo FH LNG tractor units.

“We’re working closely with the team at Gasrec and that collaborative approach will help us to greatly expand our LNG fleet over the next couple of years as the infrastructure allows. The trucks are working extremely well for us and we anticipate that by this summer we will have roughly a third of our fleet running on gas,” added Richardson.

The new station at Boroughbridge – located just off the A1 and available to third parties by arrangement – was designed by Dutch LNG expert Liqal.

James Westcott, chief commercial officer of Gasrec, explained: “We chose to work with Liqal on this project because we saw great synergy in our ambition and commitment to innovation. This station is an ideal solution for Reed Boardall, being capable of comfortably supporting its 30 gas vehicles, with the scalability to grow as the business puts more gas trucks into service.

“We are looking forward to adding further infrastructure for the company to help them in their plans to make the move to a cleaner, safer and cheaper fuel.”