On Thursday 10, NGV2014 Brussels kicked off with the last workshop of the event: “Fuel Infrastructure.” Facilitated by Scott Foster, Sustainable Energy Division Director from UNECE, the session intended to deepen into the understanding of the various possibilities and alternatives of the current gas production (from conventional and non-conventional sources, and from biogas plants), whose spectrum is becoming wider, as well as supply capacity.
Barbara van de Bergh (The Netherlands), Royal Dutch Shell plc, Head of D-LNG Business Development Europe, was the first speaker with the presentation “LNG as an Emerging Fuel for Road Transport.” Besides explaining its production and supply & demand chain, she described LNG as “one option in an evolving fuel mix” and observed that one of the key challenges is developing the needed infrastructure. In this sense, she remarked the company’s projects to overcome this, including Shell’s first LNG station in the United States launched in May and several initiatives in the Netherlands. “Why is Shell supporting natural gas? Because of its abundance, acceptability and affordability,” she added.
Secondly, Hany Aouad (Belgium), Fluxys Senior Innovative Projects Manager, focused on “Natural Gas as a Fuel for Maritime and Road Transport: Fluxys’ Role,” and highlighted the importance to push small-scale LNG developments. He stated that Fluxys is strongly betting on LNG for ships and trucks and that is promoting CNG benefits among large fleet owners. “As an infrastructure group, we want to help solving the chicken-and-egg dilemma through partnerships and investments in LNG bunkering and L-CNG fueling infrastructure,” he said.
Moreover, Joe Buckle (UK), ENN Clean Fuels Key Account Manager, spoke about “China: Lessons from a Decades’ Development.” As a Group whose principal business is the operation of gas pipeline infrastructure, natural gas refueling stations, and sales and distribution of piped gas, ENN has strongly invested in the expansion of LNG fueling network in China, which has intensely grown in the last years, Buckle stated.
“The Natural Gas as a Fuel: Lessons Learned in Italy after 80 Years of Use” was the presentation of Flavio Merigo, NGV Italy Technical Manager & ISO TC22/SC 25 Committee Chairman, who referred to his country as the cradle of CNG and described Italian NGV current scenario as well as future challenges, including biomethane use. Merigo also spoke about NGV System Italia’s role as “a professional family” that represents an important institutional stakeholder for development of natural gas in transport. He mentioned success key factors such as available and affordable technology, fuel price differential, developed refueling network, applicable standards and regulations, and environmental benefits.
On behalf of Chart Ferox, Pavel Matl (Czech Republic), LNG Product Manager, presented “Mobile, Moveable and Stationary LNG Vehicle Fueling Stations with Technical Features” to clarify the technology his company is currently offering in the market and that there is a variety of vehicle fueling solutions available. “Mobile and relocatable LNG and LCNG stations can effectively complete the infrastructure of fueling opportunities without civil works investment. This may stimulate further growth of the NGV segment,” he explained.
Ingemar Gunnarsson, Göteborg Energi Project Leader for Gasification and Biogas, introduced “Production of Biogas/Biomethane – Some Examples in the Frontline from the Gothenburg Region, Sweden” and remarked this country “faces a main challenge that is to become fossil fuel free.” He said that biogas production is key to contribute to the development of a sustainable society in Gothenburg and that, among other initiatives, his company operates Sweden’s first production plant for liquefied biogas in Lidköping generating 60 GWh/year to achieve this goal.
To conclude the session, Osvaldo Del Campo (Argentina), GNC Galileo CEO and Chief of Technology, presented “Galileo’s Nano Stations: Bringing LNG and CNG Production into Consumer’s Hands.” Del Campo focused on the company’s most innovative product, the Cryobox nano station, a modular and portable technology that can be installed in remote, mature wells to transform the gas into LNG, thereby facilitating distribution by road through the Virtual Pipeline® system.
