IN Brief:
- ReFuels will begin construction of a new public-access Bio-CNG station in Swindon.
- The station will serve major HGV routes between London, South Wales, and the Midlands.
- The site forms part of a wider UK network expansion for lower-carbon heavy road freight.
ReFuels will begin construction of a new public-access Bio-CNG refuelling station in Swindon on 1 June, expanding lower-carbon fuel infrastructure for HGV operators on key UK freight corridors.
Located close to the M4, the site will serve routes between London, South Wales, and the Midlands. Completion is expected in the first quarter of 2027, with the station owned and operated by CNG Fuels, in which ReFuels holds a 40% stake.
The Swindon station will be designed to refuel 12 HGVs simultaneously and serve more than 800 trucks per day. Annual dispensing capacity is expected to exceed 30 million kilograms of Bio-CNG, giving fleet operators another high-volume site in a network that already serves thousands of heavy vehicles each day.
Bio-CNG used in the network is produced from sources such as food waste and manure, with greenhouse gas savings of around 85% to 90% compared with diesel. ReFuels also positions the fuel as a lower-cost option than diesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil, giving operators a commercial as well as carbon-related incentive to switch.
Lower-carbon freight investment is increasingly being built into physical supply chain decisions. Unilever’s Port Sunlight logistics upgrade included reduced transport movements and CO₂ savings as part of a wider site investment, while ReFuels’ Swindon station addresses the infrastructure needed to cut emissions from heavy road transport.
Heavy road freight remains one of the hardest areas of logistics to decarbonise quickly. Battery-electric trucks are developing, but vehicle cost, charging infrastructure, grid capacity, payload impact, range, and depot operating models continue to slow large-scale deployment. Bio-CNG has gained ground where operators need immediate emissions reductions from high-mileage HGVs without waiting for full electrification of long-haul freight.
Public-access refuelling is critical because many fleet operators do not have the land, utilisation profile, or capital budget to build dedicated alternative fuel infrastructure at every depot. A corridor-based station network allows gas trucks to operate across regional and trunking routes while reducing the risk that vehicles become tied to one depot or contract.
The Swindon location gives the project a strong operating case. The M4 corridor links major logistics, retail, manufacturing, and port-related flows, while London, South Wales, and the Midlands all generate significant HGV traffic. In alternative fuel infrastructure, utilisation often determines whether a site becomes a practical operating asset or remains a limited demonstration point.
ReFuels’ wider network now includes 16 UK stations with capacity for more than 11,500 trucks per day. The company is targeting capacity for 20,000 trucks per day by 2028, with projected annual CO₂ savings of 2.3 million tonnes if that network is fully utilised.
The next phase of low-carbon road freight is likely to remain mixed. Bio-CNG, HVO, battery-electric trucks, hydrogen pilots, rail freight, and route optimisation will compete across different operating cases. For high-mileage HGVs that need immediate emissions reductions on established freight corridors, the Swindon station adds another practical piece of UK infrastructure.
