Construction starts on John Lewis-backed biomethane refuelling station in Kent

By Stephen Emerson

25 August 2023

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Work has started on a new biomethane Kent refuelling station that is a collaboration between John Lewis Partnership and ReFuels.

The facility in Aylesford, Kent will serve as a fuel stop for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in the South East of England once complete.

The station in Aylesford is a joint venture between CNG Fuels, the infrastructure arm of ReFuels, and investment management firm Foresight Group.

Other fleet operators will be able to access the refuelling station, which will host 12 pumps and have the capacity to provide a 500 full tanks of fuel each day. The site is near popular routes including the M20 and M2.

Justin Laney, general manager – Fleet at John Lewis Partnership, said: “John Lewis Partnership took delivery of its first dedicated CNG trucks in 2015 and now operates 400 CNG trucks, which is the largest biomethane-powered truck fleet in the UK. We are delighted that CNG Fuels has started construction of a high-capacity Bio-CNG station in Aylesford, where Waitrose has its southeast distribution centre. John Lewis Partnership is committed to all of its 520 heavy-duty trucks running on biomethane by 2028, and the Bio-CNG station in Aylesford is another important step towards realising this goal.”

John Lewis is co-investing in refuelling infrastructure around the country and has a distribution centre close to Aylesford.

The parent company of Waitrose and John Lewis was one of the UK’s earliest corporate adopters of biomethane-powered HGVs and now operates 400 vehicles.

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By Stephen Emerson

Stephen Emerson is the Managing Editor of The Business Magazine and is responsible for the publication's print publications and online properties including the newly launched Biz News websites in Hampshire and Dorset.

Stephen has been a journalist for 20 years and has worked at local, regional and national publications and led a team which made The Scotsman website one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK with over eight million monthly users.

He has a keen interest in technology, property and corporate finance and telling the stories of the people behind the successful firms in these sectors.