Growth of sustainable fuel supplier OrangeGas unstoppable
OG from Heerenveen is pushing hard on the road. The success story began thirteen years ago with a single Bio-CNG station in Steenwijk. The company now has dozens of filling stations in the Netherlands, operates in Germany and Sweden, and is planning to expand into Belgium and other countries. However, the ambitions are far from satisfied. "We offer the appropriate clean fuel for every customer in every situation," says Joyce van Os de Man, director Benelux at the company.
The story of OG began in 2008, when Marcel Borger, among others, founded the company. At the time, Bio-CNG formed the main product of the Frisian company. This fuel is the sustainable variant of natural gas. The advantages are many: Bio-CNG is produced cleanly, is renewable and, compared to a diesel or petrol car, reduces CO₂ and nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions by up to 80%. "Driving on Bio-CNG is also affordable," explains Van Os de Man. "The investment is no higher than when buying a fossil car and refueling is up to 40 percent cheaper compared to gasoline. With a nationwide network of 180 refueling locations, driving on Bio-CNG is a breeze!"
Clean fuels
However, OrangeGas' fuel offering now extends far beyond Bio-CNG. "You have never had just one flavor within the fuels world," says the Benelux manager, referring to the well-known fossil fuels gasoline, diesel and LPG. "We believe that this kite also applies to sustainable fuels. That is why OrangeGas also offers fast chargers for electricity, HVO100 (biodiesel), ED95 (bio-ethanol for freight), Bio-LNG (sustainable variant of LNG) and liquid CO₂ for refrigerated transport at its filling stations. Hydrogen is also part of our rich palette of sustainable fuels. Before the end of the year, OrangeGas plans to open new hydrogen stations - following locations in Amsterdam and The Hague - including on the Leeuwarder Morseweg."
Because of the growing attention to climate change, OrangeGas has the wind in its sails. More and more people are choosing to drive on sustainable fuels. Business owners are also feeling this need. OrangeGas takes care of everything for them. Electric driving is not the only or best answer, emphasizes Van Os de Man. "The government focuses strongly on this, but every customer situation requires a specific solution. Moreover, each fuel has its own advantages and disadvantages. For every business driver, we look for a suitable clean fuel, tailored to their own situation." Realizing sustainable filling points is also no problem for OrangeGas. "If a company wants to switch to a sustainable fuel, we will realize a filling point on the company site or in the neighborhood. That way the company is helped and we immediately expand our fuel network."
Freonen collaborations
To achieve its goals, OrangeGas maintains many collaborations. For example, the company is a member of the Freonen fan Fossylfrij Fryslân, a network of more than 130 members that aims to make Fryslân more sustainable at an accelerated pace. "We work together with several Freonen, including DMT Environmental Technology from Joure. Last year we joined forces for a biogas project in Amsterdam. Together we upgrade processed sewage sludge to biogas there. The amount of fuel created is good for the propulsion of 5,600 passenger vehicles or 420 garbage trucks. It can also be used for about 1650 homes in the capital. DMT supplies the associated biogas plant, while OrangeGas distributes the resulting Bio-CNG to its refueling locations.
Raw materials and energy company Omrin is also a partner. "This collaboration has been running for a long time," says the Benelux manager. "Making waste collection more sustainable is important. Waste trucks drive through your neighborhood while regularly stopping and starting up again. You can prevent these emissions to a large extent by having vehicles run cleanly on Bio-CNG." Omrin produces its own biogas from its own waste. OrangeGas then takes this product and distributes it to filling stations in Omrin's area of operation. "This way the company drives on its own residual products, it can't be more circular!", states Van Os de Man.
Largest supplier in Northwest Europe
The ambitions of OrangeGas also increasingly extend beyond the national borders. "That's why we have filling stations in Sweden, Germany and - soon - Belgium, among other countries. Last summer, we acquired 75 Bio-CNG filling stations on our eastern neighbors, thereby instantly becoming the market leader. In total, OrangeGas owns more than 200 filling stations with sustainable fuels abroad." However, this is only the beginning for the company from Heerenveen. "Because," Van Os de Man states, "our ambition is to become the largest provider of clean fuels in Northwest Europe."
