Own-account operator Arla Foods plans to convert its HGV fleet at two sites to dual-fuel after opening a refuelling

station in Buckinghamshire.

The operator already has 10 dual-fuel trucks in service at its new £150m Aylesbury dairy, with plans to convert up to 80 HGVs at that site this year. It will do the same at a second unnamed site.

Once completed, about a fifth of the 550-strong truck fleet will be dual-fuel.

To achieve this, Arla has partnered with renewable fuel supplier Gasrec, which recently installed a filling station at the Aylesbury site.

Gasrec is supplying Bio-LNG fuel, a mix of 25% liquefied biomethane and 75% liquefied natural gas, and will tailor the refuelling infrastructure on site to the number of HGVs converted to run on it.

Arla hopes that converting its vehicles will help achieve its target of a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions in its transport, production and packaging operations by 2020.

Arla Foods logistics project facilitator Steve Wright said: “We look forward to developing our Bio-LNG refuelling infrastructure at Aylesbury and are confident Gasrec are in an ideal position to deliver.”

Gasrec chief commercial officer Ben Sawford said: “Sustainability and green issues are critical to Arla Foods and it is a pleasure to be helping such an enlightened company to develop strategies for reducing both cost and carbon emissions from its transport operations.”

Arla won the Low Carbon & Efficiency Award at last year’s Motor Transport Awards , which you can enter now, for its dual-use trailers.