45 gas fuelled refuse trucks to be on the road in next three years, with filling stations online in 2020
Panda, a Beauparc company, is to invest €10 million over the next three years in commissioning 45 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuelled refuse trucks alongside two newly constructed CNG filling stations, built in partnership with Gas Networks Ireland (GNI).
The move is the first of its kind for a municipal waste operator in Dublin and is part of the company’s commitment to reducing its emissions and carbon footprint across its operations. This has also seen it investing €1 million into five fully electric material handlers in place of diesel-powered machines in its recycling processing plants in the past 18 months across Ireland.
The investment has been facilitated by a partnership with GNI as part of their Causeway Project, an initiative to see the formation of a national CNG refuelling network. This partnership will see Panda investing €2.8 million in building two CNG filing stations in Dublin to fuel the new fleet of trucks. These stations are public stations operated by Panda Power. Natural and renewable gas will be available to purchase at the pump by any private or commercial vehicle owner.
CNG can reduce total vehicular emissions by up to 22% with nitrous oxide emissions falling 70% and sulphur dioxide by 80% compared to a standard HGV. In the future, these vehicles can achieve zero carbon transport when operating on renewable gas. GNI has a strategic plan to achieve 20% renewable gas on the network by 2030.
Brian Bolger, Fleet Commercial Director at Panda, said; “Sustainability is at the heart of our business and this is a significant step for our company that will keep us at the forefront of industrial environmental excellence. The partnership with Gas Networks Ireland is transformative in allowing us to realise our ambitions in delivering this green fleet and will ultimately reduce our carbon emissions by 380 tonnes per annum.”
He continued: “Our waste business has recently committed to supplying 70,000 tonnes of household organic waste annually to a new bioenergy plant in north County Dublin, so it is a perfect example of the circular economy that the trucks collecting this material will be fuelled by green power.”
Ian O’ Flynn, Head of Commercial and Corporate Affairs at Gas Networks Ireland said: “Ireland’s transport emissions continue to rise, while this is the by-product of much welcomed economic and employment growth, as a country we face significant challenges to meet our emission reduction targets. Gas Networks Ireland is leading the development of this new, cleaner transport network, to support Ireland in reducing its carbon emissions and to give Ireland’s fleet operators sustainable energy options.”
