Multinational industrial gas company BOC is set to install a liquefied natural gas (LNG) HGV refuelling unit at a service station near Carlisle.

The unit will be installed at the Golden Fleece Service station in Exelby, which will be the first LNG fuel unit that the company has put into an existing fuel forecourt in the UK for the purpose of HGVs, reports Logistics Manager.

Fuel bunkering is a diesel refuelling system that allows haulage companies to save money on their diesel spend. Exelby Services was the pioneer behind this service and is now one of the largest independents of its kind in the country.

Across its five north England sites, Exelby handles over 140 million litres of diesel annually. Its sites also store fuel for the majority of the transport, distribution and fuel card companies throughout the entire UK.

The new LNG unit, has a cryogenic cooling feature that keeps the fuel at the right temperature before it dispenses and it also has zero loss refuelling technology that was developed by BOC to ensure minimal waste.

Mark Lowe, LNG business manager at BOC, said: "This is the first part of our plan to provide LNG on-road fuelling across the UK's HGV road network."