Snam and Baker Hughes, a GE company, signed an agreement aimed at developing micro-liquefaction infrastructure to boost sustainable mobility in heavy duty trucks and to promote sustainability in maritime transportation in Italy.
Snam and BHGE will determine by the end of 2018 the feasibility of the future development of four small-scale liquefaction plants distributed throughout the country. Each almost the size of a football field, these would be the first micro-LNG plants in Italy and among the first of their kind in Europe.
Total annual combined production from the four plants could be ca.140,000 Tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or bio-LNG (liquefied biomethane obtained from the organic fraction of urban waste or from agricultural and agro-industrial biomass), further enhancing the Italian production of renewable natural gas with zero CO2emissions for the transport sector.
The potential future investment for the four plants is in the order of 50 to 80 million euros in the coming years, pending the result of the study. The agreement also includes the opportunity to develop further micro-liquefaction plants in Italy and abroad.
LNG for heavy transport is a rapidly expanding sector: the number of vehicles that use this fuel in Italy has increased from less than 100 to about 1,000 units since 2015. The number of stations supplying LNG has reached 20 units.
The construction of four new micro-liquefaction plants and therefore the availability of LNG throughout the national territory would support an increase in the number of LNG trucks circulating (potentially bringing it to about 15,000 units in the next years), facilitating the development of low-carbon transport also in Central and Southern Italy.
LNG is an immediately available solution to eliminate particulate from heavy duty trucks and maritime transport, and reduce CO2 emissions from these sectors. Bio-LNG is the only currently available solution for fully-renewable zero CO2 fuels for heavy duty transport. (Source: BHGE)