Gasrec, Veolia and Iveco commence CBM trial

Gasrec, the UK’s first commercial producer of liquid biomethane fuel, Veolia Environmental Services, the UK’s largest waste management company, and full range commercial vehicle manufacturer Iveco, announced the commencement of a commercial trial of a liquid gas fuel.

Veolia is testing compressed biomethane (CBM), which is produced from gas extracted from a landfill. The natural gas-powered daily light commercial vehicle in use for the trial is one of the latest generation of natural gas-powered vehicle manufactured by Iveco and was supplied by Gasrec to Veolia Environmental Services. Gasrec will provide CBM for a trial lasting six months and the performance of the fuel will be measured against existing vehicles running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The vehicle will be refueled at a CBM refueling station installed by Gasrec at Camden Council’s York Way depot.

The project aims to demonstrate that biomethane is a commercially competitive and environmentally sound fuel that can be directly substituted for natural gas. The Government considers biomethane to be the most sustainable biofuel in terms of impact on resource depletion in relation to alternatives such as biodiesel and ethanol. Biomethane also has the lowest carbon intensity of all commercially available biofuels – on a well-to-wheel basis, biomethane reduces CO2 emissions by up to 70% in comparison to fossil diesel, with the potential to significantly improve local air quality. 1.1 tons of CBM is also equivalent to 317 gallons of diesel, which is sufficient to fuel a 49-ton heavy goods vehicle for an entire week.

This new fuel is also designed to bring an end to any issues associated with the quality of natural gas available in the UK and offers fleet operators a serious and renewable alternative. Gasrec supplies the fuel by tanker in liquid form for bunkered storage – providing an ideal solution for applications where vehicles operate on a regular back-to-base cycle.