GDF Suez Reaches Milestone in LNG Truck Loading
GDF SUEZ LNG recorded on January 12th its 1000th LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) truck loading in Europe at the Elengy terminal of Montoir-de-Bretagne on the western coast of France. The GDF SUEZ LNG truck loading activity started in 2013 in Europe and ramped up progressively to reach this 1000th loading/
GDF SUEZ is operating LNG truck loadings in Europe from three terminals (Montoir-de-Bretagne and Fos Tonkin in France and Zeebrugge in Belgium) and from the Everett terminal in Boston, USA. The Group intends to extend its loading activity to the Isle of Grain terminal in the UK, starting in the summer 2015.
Philip Olivier, CEO of GDF SUEZ LNG said “GDF SUEZ has been active in the LNG business since 1965 and is still today at the edge of innovation and new development in a growing market for LNG. Retail LNG, that includes LNG bunkering and LNG transported to off-grid customers, is today a very promising perspective for the LNG industry in Europe to the benefit of our customers and of the environment.”
The LNG is sold at the terminal gate. After being loaded into the trucks, the LNG is transported to industrial customers that are not connected to the natural gas grid. The services offered by GDF SUEZ LNG include an optimization of the loading slots for the customers and price engineering solutions through GDF SUEZ Trading desk.
In Europe, more than 10 companies are currently using the GDF SUEZ loading services, among which LNGeneration and LNG Solutions, subsidiaries of the Group. LNGeneration sells LNG to off-grid customers in Europe and LNG Solutions markets LNG as a fuel and develops LNG filling stations infrastructures for trucks and bunkering facilities for ships in the Netherlands.
LNG is increasingly used as a cleaner, cheaper, and more silent fuel for trucks. It can also be used as a substitute to LPG or HFO, as an environmentally friendly marine fuel for ships delivered via bunkering vessels or trucks. In terms of particles emissions, the use of LNG offers a reduction of 95% compared to HFO.
GDF SUEZ is the main LNG importer in Europe.