UK Government announced funding for low emission vehicle program
Transport Minister John Hayes announced the winners of a £20 million funding in Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial, under which vehicles will run on natural gas or hydrogen dual-fuel, among other clean fuel technologies, to cut emissions and improve air quality. The funding, announced at the Sustainable Road Transport Conference, in central London, is being given to 20 firms who set out plans for innovative ways to deploy low and zero emission vehicles.
The freight industry accounts for about 30% of the UK’s CO2 transport emissions and the money will help fleets get their new vehicles on the roads from mid-2017 onwards. The funding is being delivered by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and Innovate UK, and the aim of the competition is to demonstrate new technologies and to encourage the widespread introduction of low and zero emission vehicles to UK fleets.
Minister Hayes said: “Each one of these successful projects will help cut vehicle emissions, improving air quality and reducing pollution in towns and cities. This is yet another important step towards this government’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions from transport to help tackle climate change. We are already making headway through our investment in low emission vehicles, greener public transport and walking and cycling, as well as grants for innovative advanced biofuels projects.”
Air Liquide Group receives the largest amount of funding – £2.57 million – for its project trialing biogas in 86 trucks ranging from 26 tons to 44 tons. A partnership led by ULEMco from Liverpool receives £1.31 million to carry out trials using innovative hydrogen dual-fuel technology in nine vehicles. G-volution Plc gets £820,000 to demonstrate 15 dual fuel (diesel/methane) road vehicles. Kuehne + Nagel Ltd receives £1.05 for the trial of both dedicated gas and direct injection dual-fuel methane/diesel trucks (the trucks will refuel with liquid biomethane). CNG Fuels Limited receives £1.96 to trial a significantly sized fleet of dedicated gas HGVs to demonstrate their suitability for large scale roll-out.
https://www.ngvjournal.com/uk-government-announced-funding-for-low-emission-vehicle-program/
New strategic alliance to operate LNG regasification project in Malta
ElectroGas Malta (EGM) awarded to Reganosa the operation and maintenance of the Delimara regasification plant, part of a project that is the pillar on which the energy sector in Malta will be modernized, the contract signed is a key milestone for both parties.
With this alliance, EGM shall enter commercial operation of the project with Reganosa, itself a competent European TSO, for the operation and maintenance of the plant. Reganosa, on the other hand, promotes its activity in the global market from its experience as promoter and operator of infrastructures in the Spanish gas sector and in line with its strategy.
Last year, EGM, whose shareholders are Siemens PV GmbH, Socar S.A. and GEM Ltd., invited Reganosa to participate in the selection process to award the operation of the Delimara regasification plant, in the southeast of the Maltese Island. This process ended with the signature of the operation and maintenance contract between EGM and Reganosa’s Maltese subsidiary, called Reganosa Malta, at the end of 2016.
Until now, Malta’s main energy sources are heavy hydrocarbons, used in electricity generation, and light hydrocarbons, used both in power generation and in automotive. More than 98% of the electricity consumed in the country comes from fuels derived from petroleum, with the environmental disadvantages that this entails. To this end, the Government of Malta designed an environmental improvement plan for the Maltese energy sector with a more competitive energy natural gas. The project includes the Delimara regasification plant, a LNG storage vessel, the LNG Armada Mediterrana, with 125,000 cubic meters of capacity and a combined cycle plant of 215 megawatts.
The regasification plant shall also supply Enemalta, the state owned electricity generation and distribution company, with natural gas to fuel an eight-engine power plant of approximately 150MWs. The new terminal, which received its first LNG shipment on Wednesday 11th January 2017, is one of the only two in the world with FSU (Floating Storage Unit) technology, which consists in storing fuel on a ship docked at the terminal, instead of tanks on land. This is a key project for Malta´s energy transformation and its integration into the European gas system.
https://www.ngvjournal.com/new-strategic-alliance-to-operate-lng-regasification-project-in-malta/
Cooking Gas Price To Crash As NLNG Discharges 13,000 Tonnes Of LPG
Consumers may now heave a sigh of relief as the skyrocketing price of cooking gas, which hit an all time high of N5,000 from N3,200 is to crash with the delivery of 13,000 tonnes of LPG by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, in Lagos jetty at the weekend.
General Manager, External Relations, NLNG, Mr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, said following the delivery of the 13,000 tonnes of LPG, the vessel is scheduled to return to NLNG’s facility in Bonny, Rivers State, to reload, adding that NLNG would continue in its efforts to ensure adequate supply and price stability to the market.
Consumers across the country have had to contend with a 53.3 per cent increase in the price of cooking gas in the last two weeks.
But NLNG in the heat of the scarcity denied news making the rounds that it increased the price of LPG. The company, in a statement by its spokesman, explained that domestic LPG price is based on an international price index plus 50 per cent of the shipping cost of delivering the product to receiving facilities in Apapa, Lagos.
He stated that the price is invoiced in naira at the prevailing official interbank exchange rates, contrary to erroneous assertions made in parts of the media.
Aside from the above, he explained that recent delays to vessel discharges at the receiving facilities in Apapa, Lagos, which are multi-use terminals with berthing priority accorded to vessels discharging other oil products (petrol, DPK and diesel), have also led to a temporary supply disruption over the last two to three weeks.
‘‘For instance, NLNG’s dedicated LPG vessel has been unable to discharge LPG at the Apapa port since December 29, 2016 due to jetty unavailability, resulting in temporary product shortages in the market,’’ he had said.
President of the Nigerian Association of LPG Marketers (NALPGAM), Mr. Basil Ogbuanu, told Daily Sun in a recent interview that the practice where LPG is priced at an international price index remained a setback for the sector.
Ogbuanu argued that the practice, if not addressed, would erode the gains already recorded, which is aimed at deepening the usage of LPG. On the other hand, he said the weak exchange rate of the naira against the dollar has further increased the price of LPG.
‘‘Rather than use the official exchange rate, the black market rate is used for the conversion and this has led to a 20 metric tonne of gas selling for about N5.5 million as against N3.5 million in November 2016. You will also have to consider the cost of diesel to power the generators when the gas gets to the plants. A litre of diesel now sells for N250. All these costs eventually lead to increase in retail price of gas,’’ he lamented.
“Even if the vessels are allowed to discharge now, the cost of 12.5kg from a reasonable wholesale plant cannot be less than N4,000. So the situation on hand is not that of price hike but increment,’’ he lamented.
On his part, the National Chairman, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers (LPGAR) branch of NUPENG, Mr. Chika Michael Umudu, had decried the ongoing instability in the supply and pricing of cooking gas across the country.
And to address the issue surrounding incessant LPG scarcity, Umudu appealed to the government to go back to the drawing board and revitalise the 2007 Obasanjo LP Gas policy, which helped to generate some improvements in the sector, thereby making the product relatively affordable to the lower stratum of the Nigerian society.
https://www.trailblazersng.com/cooking-gas-price-crash-nlng-discharges-13000-tonnes-lpg/