Northern Ireland Company Granville Ecopark is getting 'Back to the Future'

2020 put many things on hold for Northern Ireland, but renewable energy innovators, Granville Ecopark in Co. Tyrone is getting ‘Back to the Future’ and inviting customers to join them.

The Dungannon company has kick-started 2021 with the arrival of two new CNG powered trucks, a first for Northern Ireland. The trucks will open new avenues and enable others to reap the benefits of these environmentally friendly vehicles. They will be fuelled by biomethane - a naturally occurring gas, produced through an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process, utilising only organic matter i.e. food waste as the resource.

An idea once purely imagined in science fiction is now a reality thanks to the company’s ground-breaking technology. Back to the Future films saw a time-travelling DeLorean use food waste as fuel. Forward to 2021 and the ambition has been realised through the introduction of two innovative IVECO Stralis NP trucks to the company's operations.

Dubbed ‘Smart Loop Lorries’, Granville Eco Park’s new vehicles and its AD technologies create a full circle system, or ‘circular economy’, where nothing is lost or wasted, enabling a more sustainable future. The lorries will be used to collect food waste, which in turn is converted to vehicle fuel and used to deliver the other sustainable products created at the plant, such as natural fertiliser and biomethane, for renewable electricity production.

The environmental benefits are impressive with the biomethane fuel reducing CO2 emissions by up to 95% compared to diesel and reducing air polluting NOx emissions by up to 70%. The company is inviting customers to join them in their ‘Sustainable Movement, Actively Reshaping Tomorrow’ by replacing fossil fuels and non-renewable products by adopting their ‘SMART Loop’ of products and services.

Company Chief Technical Officer, David McKee has said, “We believe that biomethane has a huge part to play in the future of vehicle fuel as a fossil free alternative. We are excited to be leading the way in the haulage and renewable markets in Ireland and will continue to follow our company mission to make our future here, more sustainable”.

The introduction of a new customer friendly Biomethane Fuel Point at their Dungannon site at the end of 2020 boosted accessibility for customers thinking of switch their fleet. Biomethane is conveniently compatible with CNG (natural gas) vehicles and up to 50% cheaper than diesel. The green switch in transport is urgently needed. Climate scientists and leading truck manufacturers (PIK & ACEA) have recently concluded that, “by 2040 all new trucks sold need to be fossil fuel free in order to reach carbon-neutrality by 2050.”

The experts urge that adequate refuelling infrastructure is vital to reaching this target. Granville Eco Park’s facilities and central location is the first step in making sure local businesses have the opportunity to transition towards cleaner transport fuel today and be part of creating a brighter future.

For more information, please contact Paula McGurk.