Bilfinger expanding Alternoil’s LNG network

Bilfinger and Greeen Solutions have signed a framework agreement covering engineering, assembly and services for LNG filling stations in Germany.

The goal is to establish a filling station network for trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the companies said in a statement on Wednesday.

Bilfinger EMS will serve as the technology partner of Greeen Solutions for the design, construction and maintenance of the LNG filling stations. The Cloppenburg-based company will contribute its engineering service to approval planning for future LNG filling station locations and will also coordinate other planning services.

Furthermore, Bilfinger EMS will carry out technical inspections for plant function, plant safety and conformity with German laws and standards. The company will also provide qualified personnel for the installation, technical testing and commissioning of the filling stations.

The first LNG filling stations ordered by Greeen Solutions will be installed before the end of this year. The company plans to set up facilities in Bremen, Melle, Cologne, Greding and Ettenheim.

The filling stations will be operated by Alternoil, on whose behalf Greeen Solutions is acting as project developer.

In October 2019, Alternoil opened what was at the time the largest LNG filling station in Europe in the German city of Bakum.

This year, ten additional LNG filling stations are already under construction or in the approval phase.

In order to make the network accessible to as many freight forwarders as possible, Alternoil is using the existing infrastructure. This enables service station operators to supply LNG at their current locations.

For fleet operators looking to switch to LNG trucks, Alternoil can also provide LNG directly at their sites. To facilitate this, the company is pursuing an integrated concept. The concept covers planning, construction, operation and maintenance of the stations as well as the supply of LNG.

In the future, heavy goods traffic on German roads will have a much lower impact on the environment and climate.

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure has launched a program of subsidies for heavy goods vehicles. The program is intended to make it easier for freight forwarders to switch from diesel to alternative drive systems.

There is a clear trend towards LNG. The prerequisite for the widespread use of LNG trucks is the existence of a comprehensive network of filling stations.

An EU directive stipulates that LNG vehicles must be able to fill up with LNG anywhere in the European transport network without difficulty by 2025 at the latest,