Bilfinger and Green Solutions have signed a framework agreement covering engineering, assembly and services for liquefied natural gas (LNG) filling stations for trucks in the German market.
Bilfinger EMS, a subsidiary of international industrial services provider Bilfinger, will serve as technology partner of Green Solutions for the design, construction and maintenance of the LNG stations.
The Cloppenburg, Germany-based company will contribute its engineering knowledge to approval planning for future LNG filling station locations and will also coordinate other planning services.
Bilfinger EMS will carry out technical inspections for plant function, plant safety and conformity with German laws and standards. Bilfinger EMS will also provide qualified personnel for the installation, technical testing and commissioning of the filling stations.
The filling stations will be operated by Alternoil GmbH, on whose behalf Green 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 city of Bakum (Lower Saxony, Germany).
This project was the starting point for the long-term establishment of more environmentally friendly fuels for heavy goods traffic. This year, 10 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, enabling 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, an integrated concept is being pursued, covering planning, construction, smooth operation and maintenance of the stations as well as the supply of LNG. In the future, heavy goods traffic on German roads is expected to have a much lower impact on the environment and climate than is currently the case.
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure has launched a program of subsidies for heavy goods vehicles intended to make it easier for freight forwarders to switch from diesel to alternative drive systems.
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.
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