Spain’s HAM Group inaugurates first public CNG Filling Station for Barcelona

Barcelona, 16th June 2010

Spain’s HAM Group, a compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquid natural gas (LNG) distributor and transport company opened its second public service station for natural gas vehicles in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the first in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The station was officially inaugurated by the mayor of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Ms. Núria Marín, who expressed great gratification for having been honoured to open this first CNG station for Barcelona that will not only fill up 25 CNG vehicles of the HAM fleet, but also 17 taxis that are already running on CNG in the Barcelona area. The mayor pointed out that CNG offers a huge opportunity to make the shift to more environmental friendly vehicles. In line with this, the local police will e.g. not be allowed to incorporate new Diesel vehicles into their fleet any more, but has to introduce alternative fuels instead. “I hope that the police will make use of this clean and immediate available technology and will put as many CNG vehicles as possible into operation” the mayor emphasised.

NGVA Europe was also present at the inauguration day on June 16th to congratulate its Spanish member HAM, which is also one of the main industrial companies pushing NGVs in Spain. Looking at 2.500 CNG vehicles in Spain, which are mostly composed by urban heavy-duty vehicles (buses and trucks) so far, HAM is convinced that the Spanish market will also pick up for private passenger cars and light-duty commercial vehicles in the future. “HAM will now launch an initiative to inform car dealers that CNG vehicles are actually available in Spain”, Managing Director of HAM, Mr. Antonio Murugó said.

from left to right: Matthias Maedge (NGVA Europe), Antonio Murugó (HAM), Osvaldo del Campo (Galileo)		The L'Hospitalet de Llobregat Mayor, Núria Marín, tohether with HAM and Galileo representatives

 
HAM has already purchased natural gas vehicles for its own fleet since 2000, including the VW Passat, Citroën C3 and Mercedes Benz Class B or Citroën Berlingo and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans and will carry on to do so. The total HAM fleet now consists of approx. 240 vehicles and the goal is to replace all vehicles of the group that still use conventional fuels with alternative drives during the next 3-4 years, HAM says. “Our commitment is to protect the environment, the company will therefore mostly purchase vehicles running on CNG”, Antonio Murugó, Managing Director of HAM accentuates. The company also makes their vehicles available for testing purposes to parties interested in switching to natural gas.

In March 2009 Ham started up the first CNG & LNG road station. Located in Abrera, in the kilometric point 582 of the A-2 highway, it is opened 24 hours a day. The Abrera natural gas service station is part of an existing HAM LNG plant which has been supplying their own LNG tractor units since 2000. HAM already operates 5 LNG trucks and recently ordered another 10 LNG Volvo trucks (Dual Fuel) from NGVA Europe member Clean Air Power, which will increase their LNG heavy-duty fleet to 15 lorries.
HAM aims at connecting the main transit routes in Spain with CNG and LNG service stations and will therefore open two new CNG/LNG service stations during July/August this year in Sant Sadurni d'Anoia (40 km from Barcelona on the A2 motorway) and in Torremocha del Campo, Guadalajara (126 km from Madrid on the A2 motorway). “With these new filling stations alongside the A2 we will be able to open the main Spanish transport route between Barcelona and Madrid to LNG”, Murugó said. 

NGVA Europe promotes LNG Blue Corridors on a European level as LNG (liquefied natural gas and biomethane) is ideal to substitute oil on medium and long distance road transport. Strategic freight transport corridors should therefore be equipped with LNG filling stations (the energy density is much higher compared with CNG. One litre of diesel corresponds with 5 litre of CNG, but only with 1,8 litre of LNG).
LNG in road transport is especially interesting in countries like Spain and France that have a lot of LNG available already. For example in Spain most of the natural gas is coming to the Iberian Peninsula in liquid state through 7 LNG ports.  

NGVA Europe Marketing & Communications Manager,
Matthias Maedge, congratulates Mayor Núria Marín 

Technical background information
The CNG compressor unit used by HAM has been installed by the Argentina based CNG company Galileo and is sourced from a medium pressure natural gas pipeline which supplies the city. The system compresses the piped natural gas to 200 bar, necessary for the operation of vehicles. At peak demand the compressor can supply natural gas to about 10 vehicles per hour; Galileo specifications state the technology is capable of fuelling 150 vehicles per day.
Installation and pressure levels will be controlled automatically by a computer connected on-line 24 hours a day, with an automated emergency alert direct to the company responsible for maintenance. The compressor uses a filling nozzle by NGVA Europe member WEH, leading global manufacturer of CNG couplings and nozzles.

The CNG in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat is sold at 0,78 €/ kg, compared to 1,11 €/ l Diesel and 1,18 €/ l petrol (1 litre of petrol corresponds to 1,5 litre of CNG = CNG price in litre equivalent to petrol is only 0,52 €!).

Sub-contracted by Gas Natural, the HAM Group is currently constructing a CNG supply station for a fleet of around 400 buses of the Municipal Transport Company (EMT) in Madrid, which will become the largest European installation of both the volume of the fleet and the CNG compression capability, and will be one of the largest in the world.

For knowing more about LNG technologies, please refer to http://www.ngvaeurope.eu/lng-liquefied-natural-gas-technologies. 

Source: HAM

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Terminology:

CNG - Compressed Natural Gas

LNG - Liquefied Natural Gas

NGV - Natural Gas Vehilce

NG/biomethnane - Natural Gas and biomethane as a fuel

Note: When NGVA Europe uses the terms CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) or LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), this always and automatically also comprehends compressed or liquefied biomethane. But to simplify matters, NGVA Europe mostly makes reference to the commonly used terms CNG and LNG only. The European Emission Regulation (EC) No 692/2008 issued on July 18, 2008, consequently uses the term NG/biomethane when describing the fuel used in NGVs (Natural Gas Vehilces). NGVA Europe follows the same principle.

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