January 8, 2024. The Portuguese Government has published Ministerial Order 435-A/2023 establishing the creation of professional natural gas for vehicles (compressed or liquefied) for the transport of goods and passengers. Gasnam-Neutral Transport celebrates the decision, in line with what the association has been defending for several years.
With its publication, companies that own goods transport vehicles with a gross weight equal to or greater than 35 tons, as well as those that carry out their professional activity in the transport of passengers with units of no less than 22 seats, will benefit from a credit related to the acquisition price of the natural gas used in these trucks.
As in the case of professional diesel, the credit for professional natural gas for vehicles (9.6 cents/kg) will be applied to the annual consumption of each vehicle, up to a maximum of 2000 GJ (gigajoules, equivalent to 555.56 kWh).
This measure, which will have practical effects from July 1, 2024, will allow companies with mixed fleets (diesel and natural gas) or exclusively natural gas fleets to operate these trucks competitively, also contributing to the decarbonization of the transportation sector, because the main gas marketing companies already offer (or plan to do so throughout 2024) a product of 100% renewable origin, biomethane, obtained from the purification of biogas and fully compatible with natural gas regarding its use in vehicle engines.
