Sweden, Stockholm
Mandates dispensing of methane at all refueling stations
Stockholm City Councillor for the Environment, Ms Ulla Hamilton, has released policy details aimed at increasing the use of natural gas vehicles, with biomethane as a primary fuel source. The wide ranging policy allows for the use of fossil sourced natural gas as a supplement when biomethane supplies are insufficient to meet demand. Under the policy, existing refueling stations will be rebuilt to accommodate methane dispensers (already under way and expected to be completed this autumn) with additional sites to be established by local gas supplier, AGA Gas.
With demand for biomethane increasing throughout Sweden, AGA is also to set up a natural gas storage facility in the city this Autumn, made necessary due to the fact that Sweden does not have an existing natural gas grid. A local grid will however be built by Fortum Värme to eliminate the need for truck deliveries of gas to refueling stations in the city. The grid is expected to be operational by the end of 2009.
Other initiatives under way include the establishment of a dedicated refueling facility for refuse trucks, to be built by AGA in 2008, biogas production at Himmerfjärdsverket, to be established by Scandinavian Biogas in 2008, and biogas production at Käppalaverket, expected to begin in 2010. Fortum Värme is also slated to build a plant for production of crop based biogas, commencing supplies in 2011.
The policy says food waste from restaurants and other large scale kitchens will be added to sewage sludge in order to increase total biogas production.
Meanwhile, on the demand side, the policy also includes provision for vehicles to make use of the increased infrastructure and fuel supplies. SL (the company handling local bus, underground and train traffic) will acquire new buses propelled by biomethane, increasing the fleet from 50 to 300 vehicles.
The City of Stockholm light duty fleet already includes NGVs fuelled with biomethane but the city has set a target of having all its vehicles meeting ‘environmental vehicle’ status by 2010.
The City also distributes EU support funds to enterprises and organisations investing in vehicles running on biomethane and has begun adding traffic signs along roads and streets to make it easier to find all the methane refuelling stations (to be completed in the autumn of 2007).
ENGVA Chairman and Swedish resident, Peter Boisen, says the announcement that the City will allow the use of natural gas to supplement biomethane supplies is a political breakthrough. “Sweden will obviously continue to aim for large volume production of biomethane for use in vehicles, but will, if and when required, complement available biomethane with the use of natural gas.” Boisen added, “The creation of a local grid for distribution of gas to the refueling sites is also an important innovation as transporting compressed gas by truck is an expensive exercise.”
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