Amendment to IMO Tier III Implementation Date Proposed

| United Kingdom, London
DNV's "Triality" - a crude oil tanker concept fuelled by LNG

DNV introduced “Triality”, a crude oil tanker concept fuelled by LNG, in 2010.

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), in the context of its 65th session, considered and agreed to proposed draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI regulation 13 on Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), to amend the date for the implementation of “Tier III” standards within emission control areas (ECAs) to 1 January 2021, from the current effective date of 1 January 2016. The draft amendments will be circulated for consideration at MEPC 66 in 2014, with a view to adoption. Read more »

Russia Decrees Massive Natural Gas Transport Fuel Targets for 2020

| Russia, Moscow
Medvedev

Prime Minister Medvedev (right) meets with vice-premiers to discuss natural gas fuel implementation.

50% conversion planned for cities with population over 1 million

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev on 13th May signed a decree prepared by the Ministry of Energy of Russia that will change the face of transportation in his country. The decree includes an order to “develop a set of legal, economic and organizational measures of the state to support the production, release into circulation and trafficking in motor vehicles and agricultural equipment to natural gas, creating traffic fueling and service infrastructure, statistical systems and technical regulation for natural gas as a motor fuel”. Read more »

Ohio Permits Axle Load Limit Excess for CNG-Powered Vehicles

| USA, Columbus OH

The U.S. State of Ohio has legislated a new provision that allows dedicated CNG-powered vehicles to exceed imposed gross vehicle weight provisions. Specifically, Code 55 (LV) ROADS, Chapter 5577 LOAD LIMITS ON HIGHWAYS: “(A) Notwithstanding sections 5577.02 and 5577.04 of the Revised Code, a vehicle fueled solely by compressed natural gas may exceed by not more than two thousand pounds the gross vehicle weight provisions of sections 5577.01 to 5577.09 of the Revised Code or the axle load limits of those sections.”

(Source: Ohio State Government)

South Korea Government Considers NGV Promotion Measures

| South Korea | Source: Korean Association for Natural Gas Vehicles (KANGV)
Refueling with CNG in Donghae, Korea

Refueling with CNG in Donghae, Korea

As a part of taxi fuel diversification project, South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) is reviewing supportive measures for green car development and supply promotion, which is drawing attention from city gas industry, reports the Korean Association for Natural Gas Vehicles (KANGV). The review is being driven by increased public and private demand for conversion of vehicles to natural gas operation. Read more »

Obama Energy Blueprint Promotes Natural Gas for Nation’s Trucking Fleet

| USA

President Barack Obama delivers Energy BlueprintLate last week, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered his second-term energy blueprint, reiterating his commitment to a sustained energy strategy, and urged Congress to take up common-sense proposals that will further reduce his country’s dependence on oil, better protect consumers from spikes in gas prices, and reduce pollution. He is calling for the establishment of an Energy Security Trust, which is designed to invest in breakthrough research that will make the technologies of the future cheaper and better – including natural gas fuel technologies. Read more »

Philippine Government Passes Incentives to Stimulate Alt-Fuel Vehicle Uptake

| Philippines, Manila

Philippines traffic congestion - emission levels are highAt the end of January 2013, the Philippine Senate passed Senate Bill No. 2856 entitled An Act Providing Incentives for the Manufacture, Assembly, Conversion and Importation of Electric, Hybrid and other Alternative Fuel Vehicles, and for Other Purposes. Under “Alternative Fuels”, compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) is amongst the fuels specified. A number of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives are notated. Read more »

EU Supports Study to Address Barriers to Implementing LNG-Fuelled Shipping

| Brussels, Belgium

EC LogoLNG for the maritime sector closer to reality

The European Union will support a study aimed at identifying and addressing the potential barriers to the construction and operation of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) fuelled vessels, with over €1.2 million (USD $1.63 million) from the TEN-T Programme.  Read more »

EU Launches Clean Fuel Strategy to Propel Refuelling Infrastructure Development

| Europe

LNG refuelling for road transport every 400 kms

EU-wide refuelling for CNG vehicles

All 139 maritime and inland ports to have LNG refuelling

Common EU standards; binding targets

The European Commission has launched an ambitious package of measures to ensure the build-up of alternative fuel stations across Europe with common standards for their design and use. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the latter for refuelling heavy duty vehicles and marine vessels, are included. Policy initiatives so far have mostly addressed the actual fuels and vehicles, without considering fuels distribution. Efforts to provide incentives have been uncoordinated and insufficient. Read more »

UNECE Informal Group on Gaseous Fuelled Vehicles Update

| Europe

The UNECE Informal Group on Gaseous Fuelled Vehicles (GFV) held a special workshop session in Brussels on 12th December 2012, to present and discuss various regulatory approaches for retrofit heavy dual-fuel engines. During two sessions presentations were made by dual-fuel system suppliers who provided their input and views about the creation of a Heavy Duty Dual-Fuel (HDDF) regulatory framework within the UN as well as views from different countries regarding their current approach to handling certification (or exemptions) of dual-fuel engines and trucks. Read more »

US Taxpayer Relief Act 2012 Includes Incentives for NGV Growth

| USA, Washington DC | Source: NGVAmerica

The US Congress passed and the President signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 on January 2nd, bringing into play a package of tax credit extensions for 2012 and 2013, which the Senate Finance Committee had previously passed. Importantly for the Natural Gas vehicle (NGV) industry, the tax credit extensions in the Act include the NGVAmerica-promoted tax credits for the sale of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) when used as a fuel for transportation and the tax credit for natural gas fueling equipment. Read more »

NGVAmerica Develops Model Legislation for Taxation of CNG and LNG

| USA | Source: NGVAmerica

NGVAmerica, the trade association that represents the U.S. natural gas vehicle industry, has released a draft of model legislation to address the state-level taxation of compressed (CNG) and Liquefied (LNG) natural gas. NGVAmerica members as well as other trade associations were represented on the task force that developed the model legislation. The goal is to ensure that natural gas is taxed on an energy equivalent basis with gasoline and diesel fuel, and that uniform conversion factors are used for these calculations. Read more »

New EU Rules on Cleaner Fuels for Shipping

| Europe

The European Union’s new environmental rules on marine fuels, which entered into force 17 December, will substantially reduce air pollution and its impacts on human health. According to Norwegian classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV), liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled propulsion has been shown to meet the strictest emissions control regulations, in addition to being technically feasible and cost-effective, and is therefore well positioned to assume an increasing market share. Read more »

Comprehensive Government Support to Speed up NGV Fuel Market Development in Russia

| Russia, Moscow

Following a multisectoral meeting on the promotion of NGV fuel use in July this year, Gazprom’s Board of Directors have again met to discuss natural gas vehicle (NGV) fuel market development, progressing its domestic market objective to considerably expand the NGV fuel business while positively addressing fuel-related societal issues of environmental friendliness and economic efficiency using NGV fuel. Read more »

Trinidad and Tobago Budget Addresses Crippling Fuel Subsidies with CNG

| Trinidad and Tobago

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT) is desperate to reduce the huge fuel subsidy which accounts for some two-thirds of the country’s budget deficit, by moving the transportation sector to compressed natural gas (CNG) and away from diesel fuel. This has been an open agenda for the past two years, but the slow transition means the government is seeking to introduce new measures to progress the uptake of CNG. The national budget presented for the 2012/2013 year contains such measures. Read more »

New Fuel Economy and GHG Rules in US Support NGV Industry

| USA, Washington DC

The credits reward manufacturers for producing NGVs. (NGVAmerica)

The Obama Administration has finalized standards in the USA, that will increase fuel economy to the equivalent of 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025. NGVAmerica, the national natural gas vehicle association, says the rules “allow automakers to earn GHG and FE (fuel economy) credits, in part by producing natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and other advanced technology vehicles, so actual fleet averages are expected to be less than 54.5 mpg. NHTSA’s (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) fuel economy regulations actually specify a fuel economy average of 49.6 mpg by 2025.” Read more »