This is excellent news for motorists driving on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) in Center-Finistère. An LPG pump was put into service this Wednesday, October 9, at the Leclerc station in Châteauneuf-du-Faou. An installation that fills a big void in the area. Indeed, if the surroundings of the department are quite well served with LPG pumps in Morlaix, Saint-Pol-de-Léon, Brest, Saint-Renan, Plouzané, Crozon, Pont-l’Abbé, Quimper, Fouesnant, Saint-Yvi , Mellac and Quimperlé, Center-Finistère was a real desert in terms of LPG. It’s simple, we didn’t find any stations there. On the RN164, the closest is on the Costa Rican side, in Rostrenen.
In this case, it is difficult for Finistère centers to invest in an LPG vehicle. Given the price of LPG (less than one euro per liter), some would have liked to take the plunge, as Marie, a resident of Châteaulin, testifies. But she gave up on the idea due to lack of a station. Others have adopted LPG, thanks to the conversion bonus offered by the government, but these users are obliged to develop “strategies” for refueling.
This is the case with Sylvie. The Châteaulinoise takes advantage of shopping in Quimper or visiting family in Brest to stock up on LPG. Enora, a resident of Faou, carries out her professional activity in Quimper, where she can therefore obtain supplies. “It is a shame not to have more LPG stations, which does not encourage motorists to turn to this type of engine which is nevertheless less polluting,” she says.
Today, 4% of new vehicles are LPG vehicles and the Breton fleet of stations is not large enough.
“The Breton number of stations is not large enough”
Thomas Le Seac’h, boss of Leclerc de Châteauneuf, believes in LPG. In 2021, he had already tried to open this type of pump in Châteauneuf-du-Faou. “At the time, I was told that there wouldn’t be enough volume.” A trend which seems to have been reversed since “post-covid”. “Today, 4% of new vehicles are LPG vehicles and the Breton fleet of stations is not large enough. There is a real demand, because this is developing in all directions, particularly at Dacia,” indicates Jean-François Beaudron, sales representative at Butagaz. The latter says he is confident about the use of the Châteauneuf LPG station. Like Thomas Le Seac’h, he relies on the rarity of the product in Center-Finistère. And the business manager concludes: “I have always been keen to provide services that do not exist in the city”.
Practical
The Leclerc LPG station in Châteauneuf-du-Faou will be self-service 24 hours a day.
