New BioCNG refuelling station opens on the M7 Motorway in County Kildare

A new BioCNG (Bio-Compressed Natural Gas) Refuelling Station has opened up on the M7 Motorway today (Friday, September 27, 2024).

Delivered by Gas Networks Ireland and Lidon Group, and supported by the Causeway Project, the station is set to transform one of Ireland’s busiest transport corridors into a cleaner and more sustainable route for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).  

It is the sixth public CNG station to be completed and the tenth operational station in total (four private stations are also complete).

This new BioCNG station will supply biomethane produced locally in County Kildare by using local food and farm waste.

The opening is significant as BioCNG notably cuts a HGV’s carbon emissions by up to 90 per cent.

James Lawless TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport and Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, officially opened the station.

He said: "Ireland faces a significant challenge to meet its emission reduction targets, particularly in the transport sector, as it currently accounts for 34 per cent of Ireland’s energy use, making it the country’s largest source of energy demand.

"This sector is also responsible for around 40 per cent of Ireland’s energy-related emissions."

Minister Lawless continued: "HGV road freight is a 'hard to abate' sector given the fact that more than 99 per cent4 of heavy goods vehicles are currently diesel fuelled.  

"This new BioCNG station allows hauliers and fleet operators using the M7 motorway to support sustainable transport and supply chains by switching their fuel from diesel."

He concluded: "I am particularly proud that a successful service station in Kildare is to the fore in helping Ireland transition to a cleaner energy future, by providing a low carbon fuel alternative to diesel."

The completion of this station is part of Gas Networks Ireland’s pathway to a net zero carbon network by 2045.

By 2045, it is projected that biomethane will make up around 30 per cent of the gas transported on Ireland's network, with the remaining 70 per cent (approx) to comprise of green hydrogen.

According to Gas Networks Ireland, by this date, natural gas will be fully phased out from the country's gas network, marking a significant shift towards renewable energy sources.

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FURTHER COMMENTS

Liam Fitzpatrick, the director of the Lidon Group, which manages Junction 14, said:  "We are delighted that Junction 14 is the first BioCNG station in Kildare, providing renewable biogas that has been produced through the recycling of agricultural and food waste here in our home county.  

"Having opened this Motorway Services facility on the M7 13 years ago, we have seen the demand for renewable fuels growing steadily throughout that time.

"Today is a hugely significant day for us at Junction 14 with such a strong commitment being made to carbon reduction and sustainable travel for the future through this joint venture."

Mr Fitzpatrick continued: "The addition of biogas represents another step in that commitment to utilise and offer sustainable options on Ireland’s motorway transport network.

"Junction 14 was the first motorway public electrical charging point with 50 kilowatt (kw) and 11 kw units in 2011... in 2021 we installed an eight bay Super charger unit, which will be doubled in number in early 2025.

"As the demand for sustainable transport options grows, the opening of the BioCNG station at Junction 14 provides a vital infrastructure solution for the haulage and transport sectors."

"It will help to reduce the environmental impact of transport and contribute to Ireland’s overall goal of becoming a carbon neutral economy by 2050," Mr Fitzpatrick concluded.

Left to Right: Martin Heydon TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Fiona O'Loughlin, Donal Fitzpatrick, Director, Lidon Group, David Kelly, Director of Customer and Business Development, Gas Networks Ireland, James Lawless TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport and at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Liam Fitzpatrick, Director, Lidon Group. Photograph supplied by Anna Dwan of Murray Group.

Gas Networks Ireland’s Director of Customer and Business Development, David Kelly, also had this to say: "Ireland’s commercial transport fleet makes up just three per cent of vehicles on the road nationwide yet is responsible for approximately 20 per cent of transport’s carbon emissions. 

"BioCNG is key to driving sustainable supply chains and is a significant step towards net zero commercial transport in Ireland. 

"We are committed to enabling sustainable energy services and are working towards transporting renewable gases at scale.

"We have partnered with some of the most prominent forecourt operators and haulage companies throughout Ireland to make the alternative fuel option of low carbon gas a reality for Irish transport."

"We are delighted to see the country’s tenth CNG refuelling station in operation; with the stations strategically located in Cavan, Dublin, Limerick, and Tipperary — and now Kildare — we are enabling new cleaner transport corridors for Irish freight operators," Mr Kelly concluded.