There has been no service station along the A4 between Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette since Shell's closure Shutterstock

There has been no service station along the A4 between Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette since Shell's closure Shutterstock

The company this week said it had gained planning permission to begin works near Pontpierre in March. Construction on what will become the group’s 43rd service station in the country should conclude at the end of the year.

The project has been pending since 2017 and was made more pressing after the closure of the Shell service station along the same route, leaving the A4 without a place to refuel for motorists.

“There will be five pumps for lorries and six pumps for cars,” said Henri Pleimling, director of the Total Luxembourg network. There will be 16 to 20 parking spaces for lorries and five to ten spaces for cars, with Pleimling saying the service station isn’t designed a major stop or rest area.

Total is still analysing the option to add a Cactus Shoppi. The two companies entered a strategic partnership last year for the supermarket chain to operate small shops on Total premises where customers can pick up essentials.

Pleimling would not reveal the budget for the service station but said that strict environmental protection standards meant higher costs for the group. The service station will be equipped with solar panels, although these won’t suffice to cover its electricity needs completely.

Total is aiming for 24/7 service, which would place the new service station in competition with the Esso station in Leudelange, the only one in the area that is open around the clock.

The A4 service station will create around 20 jobs. Total Luxembourg currently counts just over 400 staff. “By the end of the year, with the new services stations, we should reach 500 employees,” Pleimling said. The 42nd Total station is set to open near Belval in the near future.

This story was first published in French on paperjam.lu and has been translated and edited for Delano.