Belgian hauler bets on biomethane certificates to boost green transition
Renewable fuels are an important part of the shift towards sustainable heavy transport. In this regard, Belgian transport company Van de Poel bets on the certificates for biomethane to speed up this transition, and has increased the share of biomethane in its fleet of trucks running on LNG. These certificates guarantee a certain amount of biomethane to be added to the grid. “They work as tangible proof of our sustainability efforts,” said Chief Operating Officer Wim Van de Poel.
Van de Poel’s first step was to approach its fuel supplier Drive Systems as well as Scania, for which the hauler transports parts and components between suppliers in Germany and Scania plants in the Netherlands and Belgium. “Thanks to our long-standing relationships, it was an obvious choice to set up a ‘join-hands’ project with Scania and Drive Systems,” added Van de Poel. “Together, we formed a pilot project where we committed ourselves to use a certain amount of biomethane for Scania’s flows during a test period of one year.”
At first, the certified share of biomethane will be 25%. But the company plans to scale up and increase the share of biogas as the project evolves. Along with the certificate is a Proof of Sustainability that gives the carbon footprint calculated according to the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), from the feedstock to the production of the fuel. With certificates and the Proof of Sustainability it is possible to offer a verified carbon footprint reduction with traceability along the value chain.
“Bio-LNG is the most eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative fuel available for our current business and operations right now,” commented Van de Poel. “Increasing the use of biomethane is a great opportunity for us to take the necessary steps to be in line with the 55% emission-reduction target which the EU has set for 2030.”
Jennie Edvardsson, Sustainable Transport Manager at Scania, explained the initiative is exactly what Scania wants to encourage. “As a transport buyer in this case, we are very glad that our transporter took an initiative that supports Scania’s overall goal of reducing carbon emissions in our own land transports by 50% by 2025 compared with 2015,” she said.
The participating companies are convinced that biomethane certificates are an important key to making biogas more available. “With the certificates it is possible to offer a verified carbon footprint reduction,” stated Leif Borgstedt, Senior Energy Trader and Certificate Specialist at Scania. “This means that transporters and transport buyers with set long-term CO2 goals could be offered an increased share of biomethane over time”.
“We are convinced this will add trust and transparency and that it will drive growth and increase the production of sustainable fuels,” he added.
