Partnership Aims to Develop Renewable Natural Gas Fueling in France

Carrefour and ENGIE inaugurated a public natural gas station at La Courneuve in the Paris region. Carrefour, the leading French food retailer, and GNVERT, a subsidiary of the ENGIE Group, which for almost 20 years has been the leading company in France for the distribution of alternative fuels, are realizing their collaboration to develop renewable natural gas fuel in over-the-road goods movement.

Pioneers in France, Carrefour and GNVERT, back in 2013, innovated and tested the use of RNG for the road haulage of goods. Bolstered by the success of the tests carried out, Carrefour has decided to accelerate the deployment of these clean and quiet vehicles with the goal, by the end of 2017, of opening nine service stations allowing 200 trucks to deliver to 250 urban stores in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Lille. The station of La Courneuve is the first to be inaugurated.

The choice of RNG is part of Carrefour’s ambitious transport policy which aims by 2025 to achieve a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per pallet carried compared to 2010. The trucks using this biofuel have shown an excellent environmental performance with a 75 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, no fine particle pollution and a 50 percent reduction in noise pollution.

“The reduction in CO2 emissions and fine particle pollution is a major issue for society and we must act collectively to overcome this challenge,” said Florence Batchourine, Carrefour France Supply Chain Director. “That is why Carrefour and ENGIE are deploying biomethane widely in France and are opening up their refueling network to all transport actors.”