Heavy transportation sector roadmap development will focus on natural gas for fuel
Canada has long been a leader in the development of advanced technologies for natural gas vehicles and refuelling infrastructure. Now, the Canadian story is about to open another chapter with news this week that government and industry stakeholders will partner to develop a deployment roadmap focusing on the opportunities for natural gas as a cost effective, lower emission fuel for the heavy transportation sector.
Geoff Munro, Chief Scientist and Assistant Deputy Minister for Natural Resources Canada, announced the Government of Canada’s intention to move forward with the roadmap deployment at last week’s Natural Gas Technology Futures Workshop hosted by the Canadian Gas Association. A Roundtable is to be convened by the Deputy Minister by mid-March.
A broad range of senior level stakeholders have been invited to participate including representatives of the trucking, transit, gas production, gas transmission, gas distribution, and natural gas vehicle industries. Also included are port, provincial government, and municipal stakeholders and representatives of the R&D and environmental communities.
Canada’s abundant shale gas supply outlook is part of a broader North American gas resource story that is providing a foundation for this renewed government and industry interest in transportation use of natural gas.
Most of the activity in recent years in the Canadian market has focused on offroad applications such as forklifts and ice resurfacers as well as light duty passenger vehicle conversions. Despite the ongoing efforts of industry proponents, vehicle population numbers have continued to decline and now sit at less than 12,000 vehicles. Total natural gas use for transportation in Canada amounts to less than 1 Bcf/year and this is from the world’s third leading producer of this cleaner burning fossil fuel.
That’s all about to change according to the CNGVA. In a statement to NGV Global, CNGVA President Alicia Milner said, “We know that natural gas can play an effective role in reducing emissions from transportation sources and in helping fleets to lower their operating costs. Emissions from heavy diesel vehicles are a growing problem in Canada — natural gas can be put to use and help address this emissions problem. Canadian companies offer a suite of outstanding vehicle and station technologies, and this time around, we have the opportunity to enhance natural gas’ benefits through the use of biomethane content. It’s great to see this renewed interest and to have the opportunity to work closely with government and a broad range of stakeholders to move this initiative forward.”
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