Construction will begin this week on Ireland's first dedicated Bio-CNG refuelling station.
Bio Compressed Natural Gas, known as Bio-CNG, is a compressed version of biomethane, a renewable gas that can be transported through the existing gas network infrastructure.
It is generated from the breaking down of organic matter such as food waste, animal slurry and energy crops through a process called anaerobic digestion.
Bio-CNG production therefore reduces carbon emissions by using organic waste materials that would otherwise go to landfills.
The new Flogas Enterprise Bio-CNG refuelling station is due to open in April 2024, and aims to support Irish businesses to decarbonise their commercial transport fleets.
The 2,900 square metre facility will be operated by Certa, a sister company to Flogas Enterprise within the DCC plc group.
The renewable fuel for the new station will be predominately sourced from a new anaerobic digestion plant in Co Cork and injected into the gas network.
It will then be supplied to the station through the Renewable Gas Certification scheme which tracks the allocation of the biomethane from the point of injection into the grid to the point of withdrawal at individual refueling stations.
"Bio-CNG is a greener, commercially viable, and more efficient alternative to traditional fossil fuels for commercial trucks and fleets," said Barry Murphy, Energy Services and Renewables Director at Flogas Ireland,
"We developed a simple approach to energy sustainability called Carbon Kaizen that supports our customers with their sustainability targets.
"With two decades of experience, we've powered Ireland’s industrial and commercial customers with renewable solutions and the next step for us is supplying sustainable fuel for our customers’ fleets.
"For the past number of years, we have supplied Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to customers, and more recently, Bio-CNG to forecourts," he added.
Mr Murphy said they look forward to opening more Bio-CNG stations in the future.
The new Flogas Enterprise Bio-CNG refuelling station is supported by Gas Networks Ireland's Causeway project.
"To date, the Causeway project has supported the development of a renewable gas injection facility in Nurney, Co Kildare, the deployment of a fleet of CNG vehicles and the rollout of four public CNG stations at Circle K Dublin Port, Circle K Cashel in Co Tipperary, Circle K Ballysimon Road in Limerick and Circle K Clonshaugh in Co Dublin, all supplied by Flogas Enterprise," said Fran McFadden, Gas Networks Ireland's National Customer Acquisition Manager.
"Bio-CNG is a much cleaner fuel than CNG and traditional transport fuels and, as such, this new dedicated refuelling station will play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector," he added.
Mr McFadden said he hopes this will be the first of many stations across Ireland solely dedicated to Bio-CNG fuel.
