French multinational retailer Carrefour has opened its first biomethane production unit and station in France. The Cestas bioNGV station is the first site in France to house the entire biomethane value chain in one location.
French multinational energy company Air Liquide has partnered with Carrefour in operating the Cestas bioNGV station.
Last year, Carrefour set aims to establish nine biomethane stations in France by the end of 2017. This year, Carrefour has placed its ambitions even higher, setting a goal of 20 stations by the end of 2018.
Sustainable Energy
The new station will supply Carrefour’s transportation vehicles with biomethane fuel in an effort to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
The environmental impact of a vehicle that uses biomethane is significant. Switching to the fuel reduces CO2 emissions by 75% and reduces noise pollution by 50%. It also eliminates all fine-particle emissions.
Circular Economic Model
Planète Végétal, a carrot and leek supplier for Carrefour, houses the biomethane production site at its Pot au Pin farm. Some of the biowaste from the farm, as well as bio waste collected from stores, can be used in the creation of biomethane.
The Cestas bioNGV station is located three kilometres away from the fuel production unit on the farm, meaning the biomethane created on the farm can be quickly transported to the station. Similarly, the materials used for creating the fuel are in part supplied by Carrefour's retail locations as well as suppliers, cutting down on waste.
Carrefour has also entered into agreements with its energy partners to open 20 bioNGV stations across France in an effort to meet its goal of operating 400 biomethane delivery vehicles by the end of the year.
Carrefour has also decided to open its stations to all stakeholders in the transport sector that have vehicles that operate on the lower CO2-producing fuel.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Padideh Aghanoury. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
