Construction has begun in Sheffield on a clean multi-energy hub for trucks and vans with capacity for more than 100 vehicles per day.
Once operational, the hub will avoid up to 1.34 million tonnes of CO₂e between 2026 and 2060 compared with a diesel forecourt – the equivalent of taking around 760 diesel HGVs off UK roads each year.
Strategically located at Smithywood Business Park near the M1 J35 in Sheffield, a former colliery site, the hub will provide clean refuelling options for vans and trucks, including electric charging and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).
The announcement forms part of Aegis Energy’s plan to have a national network of hubs connected to and servicing every major motorway and freight corridor in the UK.
Planning permission was granted by Sheffield City Council following close consultation with local stakeholders. and it is expected to generate economic benefits for the local area, including £28.8 million in gross value added during construction, and the creation of more than 250 jobs.
Scheduled to open in Spring 2027, it will also include modern driver welfare facilities, as well as secure overnight parking capacity.
Michael Shaw, CEO of Aegis Energy, said:
“Decarbonising commercial transport starts with building the right infrastructure in the right places, and Sheffield is exactly that kind of location. As our first hub moves into construction, we are taking an important step in building a national network that gives fleet operators the practical, reliable infrastructure they need to transition.
“This hub will support cleaner air, local jobs and economic growth, while strengthening the links that keep goods moving around the UK. We are proud to be bringing this investment to Sheffield and to be helping drive the shift to a lower-carbon future for commercial transport.”
Lord Deben, Chair of the Council for Net Zero Transport and former Environment Secretary, said:
“As Britain approaches its vital, generational challenge of combatting climate change, it is important that decarbonisation stretches to every corner of our industrial landscape.
“Freight, once a sector that was thought to be near-impossible to abate, is proving to be anything but; customers are demanding change, investment is flooding in, and new infrastructure is under way.
“Clean charging hubs will form the backbone of a new, decarbonised network of freight corridors across the UK, and I am delighted to see construction begin at Aegis Energy’s project in Sheffield.”
Image from Aegis Energy shows left to right: Ted Cliffe (Quinbrook), Christopher Thorneycroft-Smith (Aegis Energy), Lord Deben, Edmund Robins (Aegis Energy)
