Gas Natural Fenosa : and Petronieves open first public LNG refuelling station in Barcelona

• The multinational power company has invested close on 800,000 euros in this project.

• The station, which offers specific services to transport professionals, supplies liquefied natural gas (LNG) as well as compressed natural gas (CNG) for light vehicles.

• The use of natural gas in transport contributes to improved air quality by reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by 85% and CO emissions by up to 30%.

Earlier today, the Councillor for Regional Affairs and Sustainability, Josep Rull, the Managing Director for Retail Energy Businesses of GAS NATURAL FENOSA, Daniel López Jordà, and the Manager of Petronieves, Luis Nieves, opened the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) refuelling station in Barcelona, located in the city's Zona Franca. The station supplies this sustainable fuel for transport vehicles and also has a dual compressed natural gas (CNG) pump for light vehicles.

Regional Councillor Josep Rull stressed that cleaner energies are more competitive and profitable, as well as a powerful ally in the fight against climate change and atmospheric pollution. The Managing Director for Retail Energy Businesses at the power company, Daniel López Jordà , stressed that natural gas is the fuel putting itself in the best position to become a clean and sustainable alternative to conventional fuels, especially for goods haulage by road, contributing to energy diversification. In turn, the Manager of Petronieves, Luis Nieves, said that the company 'is committed to change in order to maintain growth'.

Gas refuelling stations in Catalonia

Catalonia currently has 12 vehicular natural gas (VNG) stations, seven of which belong to GAS NATURAL FENOSA, in such towns as Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Viladecans, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda and Girona. Catalonia is the autonomous region of Spain with the most LNG refuelling facilities, while Spain and the United Kingdom are the leaders in Europe.

At present, over 6,000 natural gas vehicles are on the roads in Spain, a figure that rose by over 20% in the last year. Spain has 54 public natural gas refuelling stations, of which practically half belong to GAS NATURAL FENOSA. Over 20 million natural gas vehicles are on the roads worldwide and there are over 25,500 refuelling stations in operation.

A service designed for transport professionals

The first liquefied natural gas station in Barcelona will stay open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and has been especially designed to serve transport professionals, with a room for rest and relaxation, showers, shop, Wi-Fi, offices, restaurant and secure parking facilities.

The installations are especially designed for supplying VNG to large lorries and enable natural gas to be supplied to some 100 vehicles, the equivalent of 14 GWh/year of energy. The station also has a compressed natural gas (CNG) pump for light vehicles.

Alternative fuel for improving air quality

Natural gas for transport helps improve air quality as it reduces nitrous oxide emissions by over 85% and solid particles by almost 100%, the main pollutants that affect health. It can also cut CO emissions (the main greenhouse gas) by up to 30%. Furthermore, natural gas reduces noise pollution because an engine running on this fuel is up to 50% quieter.

Besides the environmental advantages, natural gas for transport also has a number of economic advantages as it offers a 30% saving over diesel and up to a 50% saving over petrol.

About GAS NATURAL FENOSA

GAS NATURAL FENOSA has been working for over a decade on the development of solutions that enable the use of alternative fuels with a lower cost and environmental impact. In this regard, the company leads the field in mobility services by offering a comprehensive service that includes the design, implementation and operation of natural gas stations.

It currently plays an active role in various European initiatives and projects focused on developing LNG technology, such as the Blue Corridors, GARneT, BESTWAY and REPORT projects, all co-financed by the European Union. The station in Zona Franca is vitally important to the latter as it includes the conversion of 26 lorries to natural gas in order to study the repercussion on air quality in the city.

About Petronieves

Set up in 1994, Petronieves is a company specialised in the transport and sale of fuels for private and professional use. It has an extensive network of service stations at various points around Spain. Furthermore, it has a fleet of 16 transport vehicles (one for VNG) and plans to increase the number of sustainable vehicles.

Barcelona, 5 June 2017.

Video

Download Video