Europe’s growing gas fueling station network has reached the milestone of 4,000 CNG and 400 LNG stations, according to a new report.
Brussels-based association NGVA Europe said in its 2020 report on natural gas vehicles, “these stations are crucial as they are able to support Europe’s gmobility fleet, with also a rapidly increasing share of biomethane.”
Since 2020, firms opened 300 new CNG stations, which represents a growth of 8.1 percent, according to the report.
At the same time, the number of LNG stations grew from about 250 to 400, marking a rise of 60 percent.
In 2020, out of all gas fueling stations, more than 25 percent were already delivering biomethane to European consumers.
By 2030, a European average of 40 percent biomethane will be available to power the entire NGV fleet, resulting in an overall GHG emissions reduction of 55 percent. NGVA expects the European fleet to include more than 13 million vehicles by that time.
NGVA also estimates that by 2030, there will be about 10,000 CNG and 2,000 LNG stations in Europe.
Energy giant Shell, also one of the members of NGVA Europe, said earlier this year it expects European road LNG demand to reach 7.9 million tonnes by 2030. Bio-LNG would account for about 40 percent of this demand, according to the firm.
LNG trucks on the rise
While the fueling station network continues to grow, NGVA Europe also recorded a “significant amount” of gas vehicle registrations despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Therefore, compared to 2019, there have been less overall registrations of gas-powered vehicles, but this is “well in line” with the statistics for the entire vehicle sector, the report said.
NGVA said it has recorded 55.028 new registrations of passenger cars, in addition to 3,189 new buses.
According to ACEA, 11.4 percent of all new buses sold in the European Union in 2020 ran on alternative fuels. Also, nearly all of them drive on natural gas. Country-wise, France, Spain, and Sweden have witnessed the biggest growth in this segment.
In addition, the largest increase in registrations was recorded in truck sales. There has been a “huge” addition of 6,802 new CNG and LNG trucks in Europe, with Germany recording the biggest rise in truck sales, it said.
