EU urged to expand refuelling infrastructure to boost RNG use
Truck and car makers in Europe have called on the EU to accelerate the rollout of gas fuelling stations across the continent to deliver an increasing amount of renewable natural gas (RNG)/biomethane.
They say that CNG and LNG (compressed and liquid natural gas) offer concrete solutions for both private vehicles and freight transport to reduce their emissions, especially if more RNG is made available.
In a joint statement, the European Biogas Association (EBA), the Natural & bio Gas Vehicle Association (NGVA Europe) and the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) said Europe needs to act now to achieve its target for net-zero transport emissions by 2050.
The signatories call on the EU to expand natural gas infrastructure to evenly cover the whole EU territory and support the integration and use of a growing rate of renewable gas in the market.
The organisations said they would like to see the progressive incorporation of renewable gases in both gas grids and pipelines to help reduce carbon emissions from the road transport sector.
“A considerable amount of renewable gas is already available, fully in line with the strictest sustainability criteria,” said the organisations.
Gas mobility delivers on the European Green Deal
To accelerate the switch to renewable gases and further bring down the tailpipe CO2 emissions of the current and future CNG and LNG fleets, the strategic and instrumental role of existing infrastructure must be preserved and expanded.
“Not only new vehicles, but also the existing fleet can benefit from the wider use of renewable fuels, thereby contributing to the decarbonisation process,” the statement said.
ACEA Mobility & Sustainable Transport Director Petr Dolejsi said all options needed to be on the table for road transport.
“Natural and renewable gas is an available resource that can help to reduce CO2 emissions from new and existing vehicles,” he said. “Hence, we call on policy makers to deliver what the EU Directive on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure (DAFI) already provides and to put more emphasis on the rollout of EU-wide infrastructure for all fuel and energy options in the future.”
EBA Secretary General Susanna Pflüger said gas mobility contributed to affordable, accessible, healthier and cleaner alternatives in the transport sector, fully in line with the European Green Deal. “Bio-CNG and bio-LNG have very low well-to-wheel emissions and bring along multiple knock-on effects for the environment and European societies,” she said.
NGVA Europe Secretary General, Andrea Gerini said,“The use of natural and renewable gas is a quick and easy way to complement a complex system that will gradually change our way to move and to transport freight around the world. Recognising its role for transport decarbonisation in the future revision of the legislative measures is the best way to create a safe, secure, sustainable and efficient system in favour of European citizens’ mobility and companies’ logistics. And this needs to start as soon and fast as possible”.
