UK: Gasrec invests £1M in flagship refuelling station upgrade

The investment at DIRFT facility aims to meet the growing demand of trucks running on renewable biomethane. Gasrec also introduced its own fuel cards in preparation for its station network expansion.

Gasrec, a major fuel provider for gas-powered commercial vehicles on UK, has completed a £1 million upgrade to its flagship refuelling facility at the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) with new fuel dispensers, new supply lines and a new fuel management system.

The investment aims to meet the growing demand of trucks making the transition to renewable biomethane, which now represent nearly 5% of all new tractor unit registrations in the UK, according to Chief Executive of Gasrec, Rob Wood.

“We have seen a huge influx of new customers at DIRFT over the course of 2020. This demand has also led us to invest in our supply chain and more than double the number of LNG road tankers in our fleet,” says Wood.

DIRFT station offers 24/7 access to fleets from across the UK, Ireland and Europe. With the capacity to refuel up to 700 trucks per day, it houses seven dispensing points, including four pumps and four storage tanks.

Gasrec has also introduced its own fuel cards for customers in preparation for the company’s station network expansion, according to a company’s press release.

Commenting on the projected growth, Chief Commercial Officer James Westcott explains: “We are already supplying double the volume of gas we were back in January 2020; and that’s after volumes shot up in 2019 too. Over the next few months we’re going to be supporting hundreds of new gas trucks coming on the market, as businesses look to build back from the pandemic greener and stronger.”

Gasrec projects that one-third of the UK’s 44-tonne heavy truck market will have transitioned to natural gas within the next seven years, with approximately 39,000 gas-powered HGVs on UK roads.