Renewable gases in transport and their contribution to the environment

A report by the Instituto de Investigación Tecnológica of the Spanish Universidad Pontificia Comillas , commissioned by Gasnam-Neutral Transport , has revealed that the use of renewable gases and their derivatives have avoided the emission of 500,000 tonnes of CO2 in the Iberian Peninsula by 2022.

The study, entitled 'The decarbonisation of heavy transport in Spain and Portugal', analyses the current state and use of alternative fuels in heavy land and maritime transport in the region, highlighting that alternative fuels such as biomethane, hydrogen and e-fuels, are fundamental to address the decarbonisation of the sector.

The report also highlights progress in biomethane production, projecting an exponential increase in Spain between 2022 and 2025. However, despite the potential of biomethane in transport decarbonisation, Spain has a limited number of production plants and the capacity for transport in 2022 was less than 4%.

In land transport...

...there is a growing number of registrations of heavy-duty vehicles and buses powered by CNG and LNG. However, although Spain has a significant presence in the fleet of gas-powered heavy-duty vehicles and buses, the percentage of renewable gas consumed in transport is less than 1%, in contrast to other European countries such as Sweden and Germany, where the share of biomethane in transport is as high as 95% and 90%, respectively.

In the maritime sector...

...despite the majority of the world's fleet using oil-based fuels, there has been an increase in orders for LNG, methanol and hydrogen-powered ships. Spain and Portugal have a growing infrastructure for the supply of LNG to ships, and many ports already operate with ammonia and methanol, which positions them advantageously for the supply of hydrogen fuels.