Gasrec and FreshLinc have submitted planning permission for a new high-capacity public biomethane refuelling facility in Spalding, Lincolnshire, marking a significant step forward for low-carbon road transport infrastructure in the UK.
The new Bio-LNG station, which will be located adjacent to FreshLinc’s headquarters, is expected to become operational towards the end of 2026. Once complete, it will be the first public biomethane refuelling facility in East Anglia, providing vital fuel infrastructure for operators across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
The development forms part of Gasrec’s wider strategy to expand the UK’s biomethane refuelling network and support fleet operators transitioning away from diesel-powered vehicles.
James Westcott
James Westcott, Chief Commercial Officer at Gasrec, says: “This development partnership with FreshLinc will enable us to bring biomethane infrastructure to an area of the country that was previously not serviced.
“The demand for biomethane continues to grow at pace and the site in Spalding forms another important part of our plans to build a resilient national backbone of refuelling facilities allowing more and more operators to transition away from diesel.”
FreshLinc, one of the UK’s leading temperature-controlled logistics providers, operates a fleet of approximately 400 commercial vehicles and has been evaluating several options to reduce its environmental impact.
The company believes biomethane currently offers the most practical and immediate route to decarbonising its transport operation and is preparing to introduce its first gas-powered trucks later this year.
Lee Juniper, CEO at FreshLinc, says: “Reducing the environmental impact of our operation is something we take very seriously. For our line of work, biomethane represents the best way for us to instantly reduce our emissions.
Image: FreshLinc
“We ran a recent trial with Volvo gas-powered trucks and were impressed with the technology. The performance and refuelling is very similar to diesel. Having utilised Gasrec’s refuelling stations as part of the trial, we quickly chose them as our infrastructure partner. Reliability and access to fuel is paramount for us – as the most experienced operator in the UK, we’re drawn to the robust approach Gasrec takes to monitoring and maintenance, as well as the impressive station uptimes across its network.”
The project will initially involve the installation of a skid-mounted, tanker-fed refuelling facility capable of serving up to 100 gas-powered trucks per day. This will be followed by the development of a larger permanent refuelling station as demand grows.
Importantly, the facility will not be exclusive to FreshLinc’s fleet. Instead, it will operate as a public-access station, enabling operators of all sizes to benefit from biomethane as an alternative fuel.
“It’s important to stress this isn’t a FreshLinc-only facility. The site will be immediately open to the public, allowing like-minded operators of all sizes access to this cleaner and cheaper fuel,” adds Juniper.
Gasrec currently operates 18 biomethane refuelling facilities across the UK and reports network-wide station uptime exceeding 99%.
All sites are supported by the company’s Remote Monitoring Centre in Daventry and a nationwide engineering team providing round-the-clock support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year.
The addition of the Spalding site will strengthen coverage in a key logistics region, helping accelerate the adoption of gas-powered trucks while providing operators with greater confidence in the availability of alternative fuel infrastructure for both regional and long-haul transport operations.
