Italy: first LNG station opens at Padova Interporto terminal
Liquimet has opened at the inland terminal the first Italian LNG public mono-fuel station. The facility is the first element of the GAINN4DEP, the Italian program for the development of the national LNG transport. Simultaneously, Iveco delivered to Automarocchi 20 trucks Stralis as first part of its program to convert the entire fleet of vehicles to LNG.
Isabella De Monte, MEP of the Transport Commission, attended the opening ceremony and highlighted three key words: competitiveness, innovation and sustainability. On May 31 a dossier for sustainability focusing on vehicles transport systems will be tabled by the European Commission. A proposal addressing new regulations for fuels and road tolls will be also addressed. Italy is 8 years ahead of the European deadline which prescribes the building of refueling infrastructure in the major hubs by 2025 that are different to petrol and in particular LNG specifically for maritime and heavy road transport.
The structure of the station, initially realized with one LNG refueling bay and one CNG refueling bay, is designed to allow the extension up to 4 bays with double dispenser, in order to increase the fueling potential up to 500 vehicles per day. The innovative solutions studied for the methane security includes piping and aerial devices which are encapsulated in exhaust vents to convey upwards any accidental methane emissions, avoiding any possible flammability conditions in the refueling area.
The LNG does not arrive at Padova inland refueling station via road from Marsiglia or Barcelona but by railways in ISO containers from Rotterdam, in line with the GAINN4DEP principal of reduction of carbon footprint and road traffic. The network is expected to enrich the LNG coastal storage (GAINN4DEP requires at least 4) from which it would refuel ships and ISO-containers. The ISO-containers could go on ferry or vessel to allow a sustainable LNG delivery to South of Italy and to the Islands.
“If all the fleet (about 2,000 vehicles) that is daily coming to the Padova Interport will be converted to LNG, the result will be equivalent to of having a bush with 2 million of new trees. Methane is an inexhaustible energy source available all around us: biomethane that is naturally developed in the atmosphere is increasing and will allow us to be energy independent. Biomethane could be recoverable from agriculture, livestock, forest and from urban waste. Bio-LNG production is necessary and possible. The 2009/28/CE Directive objective is to reach the 10% of energy from renewable sources for transport by 2020. The Energy Roadmap 2050 of the EC objective is to reach the 85% reduction of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere by 2050. In this scenario, Padova station is just the first step of a program that will completely change the heavy duty transports concept, creating a huge positive impact on our health and environment,” said Antonio Nicotra, Liquimet President.
https://www.ngvjournal.com/italy-first-lng-fueling-station-opens-at-padova-interporto-terminal/