Green Gas Mobility Summit confirms the potential of the Iberian peninsula to become the European leader in biomethane and hydrogen

Instituciones y empresas que lideran la transformación energética del transporte han podido constatar, en el arranque de la 10ª edición de la Cumbre de Movilidad del Gas Verde, que la Península Ibérica tiene muchas opciones de convertirse en líder europeo en la producción de biometano e hidrógeno.

The conference was attended by representatives of the entire value chain of renewable gases: producers (Naturgy), waste managers (PreZero España), gas transport infrastructure operators (Enagás), vehicle manufacturers (IVECO, Volvo Trucks and New Holland), road freight transport companies (Disfrimur, Ojechar, Delgo and Nuppec Logística) and the main cruise fleet operator, Carnival. All the speakers highlighted the opportunity we have to take advantage of the great potential for biomethane and hydrogen production as a lever to boost the decarbonisation of our modes of transport, and have asked the administration for more ambition in the renewable gas targets, comparable to the rest of our neighbouring countries, a stable legislative framework and appropriate incentives for producers, equipment manufacturers and users to carry out the necessary investments.

This was stated at the opening of the congress by the president of Gasnam-Neutral Transport, Silvia Sanjoaquin, who pointed out that 40% of current CO₂ emissions do not offer an electrifiable alternative. However, ‘relying on the growing fleet of heavy vehicles and ships with gas engines and the advanced development of the supply infrastructure, the desired decarbonisation, thanks to biomethane, is more immediate than we think’.

For his part, Jorge Barredo, general manager of Renewables, New Business and Innovation at Naturgy, explained the company’s ambitious plans for renewable gas production projects. Barredo explained that ‘at Naturgy we see a clear opportunity in the development of renewable gases to decarbonise our gas networks, our facilities and those of our customers. But we also see a need. Biomethane is today the simplest and most economical way to achieve the decarbonisation of diffuse sectors and in particular transport, and practically the only one for a large part of heat-intensive industry’.

An essential link in the chain of renewable gases is organic waste, which is why leading waste treatment companies such as PreZero Spain are promoting the development of important projects for the production of this renewable energy. However, they consider that there is still a long way to go. In this sense, the Director of Public Business Centre of PreZero Spain, Sergio Cabellos, has assured that ‘we are far from being able to affirm that biogas is a priority in waste management in Spain and we will have to overcome various barriers to really mobilise this potential’.

Enagás CEO Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri, in a conversation with the Secretary General of Gasnam-Neutral Transport, Eugenia Sillero, stated that ‘at Enagás we are working in coordination with all sector stakeholders to adapt our infrastructures to the needs of sustainable mobility. We are already analysing this adaptation in our LNG plants to a new decarbonised model that can serve the future market of green energy carriers, while we are also making progress in the development of a backbone network for the transport of renewable hydrogen’.

Truck and agricultural machinery manufacturers such as IVECO, Volvo Trucks and New Holland have confirmed their commitment to gas engines, stating that they represent the ideal bridge to emission-neutral transport thanks to the immediate incorporation of biomethane. They also envisage a multi-energy future in which green hydrogen will be an ideal solution to decarbonise long-distance freight transport. ‘All these energies must meet the same performance standards as conventional fuels, with a competitive TCO, as well as a solid infrastructure,’ said Álvaro Arroyo, IVECO’s director of institutional relations in Spain.

All this has been completed with the interventions of end users. Major freight transport companies such as Disfrimur, Ojechar, Delgo and Nuppec Logística, which have been pioneers in the use of natural gas, are already prepared to incorporate biomethane as their production increases in our country. To accelerate this process, they have requested an attractive regulatory framework that recognises their sustainability efforts.

During the conference, the first cases of biomethane use in municipal and metropolitan public transport were also presented by the Zaragoza Transport Consortium, EMT Madrid, Grupo Ruiz and Mancomunidad de la Comarca de Pamplona, which all agreed that it is a carbon-neutral, immediate solution that provides the required autonomy. For its part, TMB presented its successful experience as the operator of the first fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses in the city of Barcelona.

Maritime transport also played a leading role in this event. It is one of the sectors that is difficult to electrify and also has greater regulatory requirements to reduce emissions, which has contributed to an increase in orders for LNG-fuelled ships, as in the case of the Carnival Corporation shipping company, a pioneer in the use of this energy. On its path towards decarbonisation, the maritime industry considers it necessary to accelerate the production and availability of new marine fuels (bio-LNG, hydrogen, methanol, etc.) that will enable the sector to achieve climate objectives.

The event was attended by a large number of institutional representatives, including the Secretary General for Transport and Mobility, María José Rallo; the MEP José Manuel Fernandes, and representatives of the autonomous communities and regional councils of the Community of Madrid, the Community of Valencia and Bizkaia.