September 17, 2024. The Zukunft Gas association, the voice of the German gas and hydrogen industry, has published a document outlining clear political measures to promote Bio-LNG in heavy-duty transport. This renewable fuel not only offers significant ecological advantages, but is also increasingly available in Germany. The infrastructure for Bio-LNG filling stations is constantly being expanded and production capacities are continuously increasing. In the first half of 2024, almost 70,000 tonnes of LNG were sold at filling stations in Germany, with the proportion of Bio-LNG already at 60%. This means that around 139,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent have already been saved.
In view of the increasing urgency of achieving climate goals and reducing emissions in the transport sector, Zukunft Gas calls for a decisive political change to establish Bio-LNG as an important contribution to climate protection. In its current document, the voice of the German gas and hydrogen industry calls for an increase in the greenhouse gas reduction quota to 35% by 2030 and a long-term continuation of the quota regulation until 2045. Timm Kehler, CEO of Zukunft Gas: “We now need an ambitious climate policy that includes all available technologies. Bio-LNG is an immediately available solution for the decarbonization of heavy transport and must be politically supported. Only then can we mobilize the necessary investments and accelerate the scale-up of climate-friendly fuels. We have been developing ambitious visions for years in the truck sector, for batteries, airlines and hydrogen. With Bio-LNG, we already have a technically proven and market-ready solution to immediately achieve significant CO2 savings in heavy transport.”
In addition, Zukunft Gas calls for tax incentives for the use of biofuels such as Bio-LNG. A reduction in the energy tax on low-emission fuels would make it easier for logistics and transport companies to economically use climate-friendly alternatives. In this way, emissions in freight transport can be reduced immediately, as switching to low-emission biofuels has so far been an obstacle for many companies due to cost reasons.
Another important point concerns the toll rules for gas-powered trucks, which currently offer no financial advantage, even though they run on Bio-LNG with particularly low emissions. Zukunft Gas calls for a reduction in the toll for these vehicles in order to give companies an economic incentive to use climate-friendly trucks. This measure would not only support the industry’s climate protection efforts, but would also make an important contribution to achieving national climate goals.
In addition, Zukunft Gas advocates a technology-neutral fleet regulation that takes greater account of the use of Bio-LNG and the removal of import barriers to facilitate access for third countries such as Ukraine. Bilateral agreements could open up new sources of sustainable biofuels, accelerating the scale-up of Bio-LNG and helping meet climate goals.
