Situation of LNG market in Europe. Interview with Brugg Pipe Systems

In this interview Meik Schubert, Head of Product Management at Brugg Rohsysteme, speaks about the challenges and opportunities of liquefied natural gas as an alternative fuel in the European market.

LNG has become the alternative fuel for heavy-duty vehicles that need to travel long distances. The high energy density and its storage make it a suitable alternative to petrol or diesel for trucks and other large vehicles. Only 1,8 liters of LNG are needed to meet the equivalent autonomy of using 1 liter of diesel oil.

In September 2015 there were aroud 1,800 LNG trucks on the European roads, with more than 70 refuelling stations to supply them, most of which were in the UK, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands, according to a study by ENN European Transportation Fuels.

The European Union has funded a number of projects focused on the promotion of LNG. The stand-out inciative is the construction of "LNG Blue Corridors", a network of refuelling stations that will allow LNG-powered trucks to travel from one part of Europe to another. The €8 million project has set five different corridors that connect, for explample, Portugal and Sweden, or the United Kingdom to Montenegro.

LNG is a natural gas that has been changed into a liquid state by cooling it to e.g. -162°C (-260°F), at 1 barg pressure, through a refrigeration process at liquefaction plants. It is a cryogenic liquid that is odourless by nature, and is clear, non-corrosive and non-toxic. It is composed principally by methane, together with ethane, propane and other heavier hydrocarbons. When warmed up, LNG re-gasifies.