The EU gas infrastructure will be a key lever of the establishment of a clean, sustainable and affordable EU mobility system: avoiding stranded assets, it will deliver decarbonisation objectives with costs effective options. In this regard, the European association of gas infrastructure operators, Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) has welcomed the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy presented by the European Commission.
“Together, we can make this irreversible shift to zero-emission mobility happen: our industry is committed to supporting the EU in becoming the first climate-neutral region by 2050,” said Boyana Achovski, GIE Secretary General. “We stand ready to share our extensive infrastructure, best practices and capacity to innovate to reduce by 90 per cent the emission in the EU transport.”
According to GIE, the existing gas infrastructure, including LNG facilities, are essential when decarbonising maritime and heavy-duty road transport as they massively contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They also improve the air quality in ports which result in preserving EU citizens’ health. Today, LNG used as a marine fuel can meet the EU’s climate and air quality targets. It can lay the ground for the carbon-neutral liquified biomethane (LBM) and liquified synthetic methane (LSM) without almost no additional investment.
“If we want to successfully decarbonise transport, the vital role of LNG infrastructures must be recognised,” continued Mrs Achovski. “For instance, LNG facilities can be easily used tomorrow for climate-neutral BioLNG with almost no modifications. Investing in LNG technologies is not locking us in a polluted system. In the opposite, it can set the EU on track to become the entry door to low-carbon and renewable liquified fuels. This means no stranded assets for Europe and only scale up effects for a climate-neutral BioLNG!”
Today, there are over 330 filling LNG stations across the EU and 53 ports in which LNG bunkering is available, a number that will massively increase over the years. GIE underlined that by 2030, the EU should count 2,000 LNG stations which means it will be six times the number we have today. Using the current gas infrastructure will also boost BioLNG cross-border trade in Europe.
