LNG station opening (image: Gas Natural Fenosa)
Gas Natural Fenosa, a company that specialises in the development of alternative fuel solutions with lower cost and environmental impact, and Petronieves, a Spanish fuel transportation and sales company, have inaugurated the first public Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) public filling station in Barcelona. Designed for transport professionals, the station also offers Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for lighter vehicles.
The first liquefied natural gas station in Barcelona, located at a Petronieves gas station in the Zona Franca, will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The use of natural gas in transport contributes to the improvement of air quality: it can reduce emissions of nitrogen dioxide by up to 85% and CO2 by up to 30% .
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Minister of Territory and Sustainability, Josep Rull; General Director of Energy Retail Businesses of Gas Natural Fenosa, Daniel López Jordà; and the manager of Petronieves, Luis Nieves. Minister Josep Rull stressed that the cleaner energies are more competitive and profitable as well as a powerful ally in the fight against climate change and air pollution. Daniel López Jordà assured the gathering that natural gas is the fuel that best positions itself as a clean and sustainable alternative to traditional fuels, especially in the case of freight transport by road, contributing to energy diversification.
Catalonia Station Network
Catalonia in north east Spain, of which Barcelona is the regional capital, currently has 12 natural gas filling stations, 7 of which are operated by Gas Natural Fenosa, in municipalities such as Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Viladecans, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda or Girona.
Currently in Spain there are more than 6,000 natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in circulation, a figure that increased more than 20% in the last year. Spain has 54 public natural gas charging stations, of which almost half are from Gas Natural Fenosa. Globally, more than 24 million natural gas vehicles and more than 29,000 stations are in operation (NGV Global statistics).
Alternative fuel to improve air quality
Natural gas for the transport helps to improve the air quality, since it reduces in more than 85 % the emission of oxides of nitrogen and almost 100 % of solid particles, the principal pollutants that affect health. It also reduces by up to 30 % the emission of CO2. On the other hand, the natural gas reduces the acoustic contamination, since it reduces the noise that an engine generates by up to half.
In addition to the environmental benefits, natural gas for transport also has economic advantages, as it saves up to 30% on gas oil and up to 50% on gasoline in Spain.
(Source: Gas Natural Fenosa)
