Dutch small-scale tech firm Liqal, part of Dover, and compatriot PitPoint.LNG have joined forces to realize three LNG fueling stations for trucks in Germany this year to cater to the increasing demand for the fuel in the country’s transport sector.
PitPoint.LNG is a joint venture consisting of PitPoint, owned by TotalEnergies, and SHV Energy’s Primagaz. It operates LNG fueling stations in Europe.
Liqal said in a statement on Tuesday it has earlier this year completed the first LNG station at the TotalEnergies truck stop in Hirschberg, Germany. The facility started operations in mid-March.
The installation includes a turnkey Liqal LNG fueling station with vertical 80-cbm LNG storage tank and two dispensers, according to Liqal.
Liqal said that the partners would now work on further stations but it did not reveal any details regarding the upcoming plans.
Back in 2020, Liqal said it had entered the German market by teaming up with German EPC company Flüssiggas-Anlagen to build truck refueling stations across the country.
The market for LNG as a transport fuel is growing in Germany, thanks in part to subsidies on purchasing LNG trucks but also exemptions from motorway tolls.
However, current density of LNG refueling infrastructure lags behind that of countries like the Netherlands, Liqal said in the statement.
NGVA Europe said earlier this year that Europe’s growing LNG fueling network had doubled its size in less than two years, reaching a new milestone of 500 LNG stations.
According to the website of the Brussels-based association, Europe currently has 551 LNG refueling stations.
The countries with the highest amount of LNG stations for trucks today include Italy with 122, followed by Germany with 121, the data shows.