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The first gas filling station for long haul transportation in Norrland is now open in Östersund, and offers liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied biogas (LBG) for Heavy Duty Vehicles. By expanding the filling station network in Sweden, Gasum is enabling gas-fuelled long-distance transport from the southern regions of the country to the north. In addition to HDVs, the station also serves passenger cars, delivery vehicles and buses with compressed gas, CNG.

Heavy-duty transport plays a key role in the Nordic logistics system. However, as transport volumes are growing, so are the emissions produced by the sector. Heavy-duty transport currently accounts for up to 30% of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions from road transport. According to new emission standards passed by the EU earlier this year, greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) are to be reduced by 30% by 2030. The national target in Sweden is to reduce road transport emissions by 70% by 2030, as compared to 2010 levels.

Gas offers low-emission fuel solutions for heavy and light-duty transport

To reach the national and international emission reduction targets, heavy-duty transport emissions need to be reduced rapidly. LNG offers a competitive fuel solution for reducing emissions immediately as its lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions are more than 20% lower than those of fossil diesel. LNG also plays an important role as an enabler in the transition to renewable fuels. The same gas infrastructure that was built for LNG can also be used for LBG, making the shift to LBG easy and cost efficient. With LBG, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by up to 85%, compared to fossil fuels. Gas vehicle offering in heavy duty vehicles is also increasing in compressed gas segment. the same gas molecule can be efficiently use in different vehicles…

“There is a growing demand among logistic buyers and transport companies for environmental ad cost-efficient fuel solutions. Liquefied gas meets these requirements. The opening of Östersund’s filling station and the development of several other upcoming stations in southern Sweden means that, soon, HDVs will be able to drive across Sweden with low-emission fuel. In addition, as there is already a significant number of CNG vehicles in the region and high demand for low emission solution in different vehicle segments. This station is a good example how the same infrastructure can serve different vehicle segments in regional transport.” says Mikael Antonsson, Director Traffic Sweden, Gasum.

At the moment, Gasum is investing in expanding its gas filling station network in the Nordics. By the early 2020s, the company is aiming to create a network of 50 new HDV gas filling stations in Finland, Sweden and Norway. In addition to the new station in Östersund, the stations that are already operational in Sweden can be found in Västerås, Norrköping, Örebro, Jönköping and Karlstad.

Read more about Gasum's gas filling station network >

Gasum is acquiring AGA’s Clean Energy business and Nauticor’s Marine Bunkering business from their current owner, Linde AG. Together, the businesses employs 35 employees and generates annual revenues of more than EUR 100 million. In the acquisition, several assets will be transferred to Gasum. These include an LNG liquefaction plant, two LNG terminals, two LNG bunkering vessels, and 48 gas filling stations in Sweden and Norway. The acquisition was signed on November 13, 2019. The transaction is subject to relevant approvals from competition authorities. The transaction is anticipated to be completed during 2020.

The acquisition will strengthen Gasum’s strategy by developing the Nordic gas market and creating a platform for a broader offering to its customers in the maritime, industry and road transport segments. In addition, the acquisition accelerates Gasum’s growth strategy for cleaner transport solutions in the Nordic heavy-duty vehicle market.

”The acquisition of AGA’s Clean Energy and Nauticor’s Marine Bunkering businesses is an integral part of our growth strategy. The acquisition enables Gasum to supply and to ensure the availability of a competitive, low-emission form of energy to meet the demands of industrial, maritime and road transport customers in the Nordic countries. We are very excited about this transaction which is important step for our com-pany when building the Nordic gas ecosystem and answering the increasing demand for low-emission energy solutions from customers,” says Gasum CEO Johanna Lamminen.

The acquisition is part of Gasum’s strategy execution and further strengthens the company’s capacity to offer gas solutions for various customer segments in multiple locations.

The increasing demand for cost-effective, low-emission fuel options for heavy-duty transport is answered with an expanding network of gas filling stations. The growing demand has been partly driven by the emission reduction standards of the European Union. The new regulation presented by the EU in early 2019 states that greenhouse gas emissions from HDVs need to be reduced by 30% by 2030. Gas plays a significant role especially in HDV segment in achieving future emission reduction targets in EU.

“The expanding filling station network supports logistics companies operating in Sweden that want to reduce their carbon footprint. For logistics companies, LNG and LBG are a necessity in the transition to a carbon neutral future. At the same time, they enable significant savings in fuel costs. Gasums expanding network in Sweden now covers a distance of around 1 000 km between our upcoming station in Kalmar in the south, and the Östersund station in the north” says Mikael Antonsson, Director Traffic Sweden, Gasum.

One of the EU target is to promote alternative clean fuels. Alternative fuels such as LNG and LBG both help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and particulate emissions, which have a positive impact on local air quality compared to diesel. Swedish government has recognized the role of gas in HDV segment with various incentives promoting infrastructure build up and increasing the number of gas vehicles.

Mejeritransport on the road to a cleaner tomorrow

Developing the infrastructure and gas filling station network across the Nordics is a joint effort of Gasum and its partners. The new gas filling stations are targeted to the long-haul transport segment where energy consumption is also the highest. All of the new stations will be located in high-traffic areas, enabling a significant increase in the use of LNG and LBG in heavy-duty transport.

Värmland’s first gas filling station located in Karlstad is part of Gasum’s plan to guarantee HDVs a reliable filling station network spread across Sweden. The new station is also an answer to a growing local need for LBG and LNG, especially among Värmland’s logistics companies. For example, Mejeritransport AB, a logistics company based in Värmland, has a fleet of about 35 trucks and a keen interest towards alternative fuels. Mejeritransport is one of Arla Food’s logistics contractors in Sweden.

“Arla is aiming to be fossil free in the near future. We are proud to operate Arla’s first LBG truck in Sweden and excited to be leading the progress towards more environmentally friendly logistics,” says Patrik Andersson, Head of Logistics, Mejeritransport AB.

Gasum’s ambitious target is to expand the Nordic liquefied gas filling station network to a total of 50 stations by the early 2020s.