Rolande announces new generation of natural gas stations in Germany

Rolande announces new generation of natural gas stations in Germany

Rolande, a pioneer in building LNG and bio-LNG infrastructures for trucks in the Netherlands, is now also entering the German market. For this, the company opened its first own CNG/LNG filling station in Ulm. Before the end of this year, further new LNG locations with partners in Dortmund, Duisburg, Grasdorf, Lübeck and Ziesar will follow.

A further expansion of the network is also planned in Germany for 2021. Rolande will operate exclusively public filling stations that can be used by any customer. Each of these stations will be equipped for a later use of bio-LNG. This way, heavy long-distance haulage in all of Germany will be able to profit from the cost and sustainability advantages of LNG.

Ulm station features a futuristic look thanks to its waved roofs and the high and slender LNG tank. The characteristic white and green Rolande design not only adds a new visual touch, but it is also functionally adjusted optically to the requirements of LNG trucks. It is a traditional public 24/7 self-serve petrol station with two LNG pumps and two CNG pumps with capacities guaranteeing swift fueling without long waiting periods. With a daily capacity for up to 150 vehicles and large driveways, it has the ideal dimensions for heavy-load trucks.

The new facility not only contributes with this to gradually further establish LNG as an environmentally friendlier fuel, but in light of the currently existing LNG network of merely 21 operating public filling stations, Rolande, with its six locations, is making an important contribution to the organization of an infrastructure in Germany. Furthermore, Rolande supports transport companies that want to switch to natural gas and is also already working on building an infrastructure for the production and use of bio-LNG for trucks.

“LNG must be available for all trucks – also in Germany. We believe that LNG not only makes transport more environmentally friendly but, at the same time, also more profitable. And everyone should get something out of that. This is why we want to supply all customers in Germany with the cleanest and most efficient deployable fuel of this time: LNG! We are not only building filling stations for this but are also organizing the entire sales and marketing chain from import to nationwide full-area coverage with the offer. In doing so, we will continuously develop new concepts for a future nationwide offer in Germany and other European countries. We also provide our entire competence of many years to our customers. This applies to both the sustainable handling of resources as well as the economically optimal use of LNG,” said Jolon van der Schuit, Rolande CEO.

The new natural gas station is part of the Connect2LNG project that is financed by the CEF program of the European Commission. The aim of this project is the development of a European LNG fueling network by commissioning five stations in Germany and France.

“It is clear that the future of transport is the gradual and continuous decarbonization of the sector, and both the European Commission with its Green Deal as well as INEA with the projects overseen by it have contributed to reaching the ambitious goal of an emission-free transport sector,” said Dirk Beckers, Director of INEA. “This LNG station in Germany is a significant contribution to building a low-emission European transport network along the Rhine-Danube corridor. The Connect2LNG project plays an important role in the fight against climate change and I am happy that the European Union can support it financially within the scope of the Connecting Europe Facility.”

The use of CNG and LNG is state subsidized in Germany. Natural gas trucks are exempted from the German road toll until 31 December 2023. The operators thereby save up to 18.7 cents in road tolls on each driven kilometer. Moreover, they profit from state subsidies for purchases of new vehicles until the end of 2020. The state subsidy amounts up to €12,000 for an LNG truck and up to €8,000 for a CNG truck.

https://www.ngvjournal.com/s1-news/c4-stations/germany-rolande-launches-new-generation-of-natural-gas-stations-in-ulm/

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