Bologna, 9 Oct. – (Adnkronos) – Italy and Europe consider LNG and BioLNG strategic for the decarbonization of maritime traffic, heavy haulage and off-grid users, in the short as well as in the medium-long term. Even more so in light of the stringent objectives of the new ETS Regulation, the FuelEU Maritime Regulation and the Community AFIR Regulation. But there is still much to be done in terms of regulation and energy policy. This, in short, is the message launched by Assogasliquidi-Federchimica with the speech by Costantino Amadei, President of the LNG Group of the association at the opening of “ConferenzaGNL 2024” scheduled for today and tomorrow as part of Fueling Tomorrow, an event dedicated to the transformation of fuels and the use of new energy vectors in the transport and “hard to abate” industries sectors, with a view to the ecological transition, which will take place from 9 to 11 October at BolognaFiere.
"Our companies have been involved for more than ten years in the development of infrastructures for the supply and distribution of LNG and BioLNG in order to guarantee the road haulage, armaments and industry sectors a fuel and an alternative fuel to meet the stringent decarbonisation objectives – Amadei recalled introducing the debate entitled “The international context and Italian excellence: state of the art and development of infrastructures” –. But private investments and enterprise alone are not enough to guarantee energy security and independence: a new relaunch plan for the sector is needed in full coherence with the recent Pniec that focuses heavily on LNG and BioLNG, which will not require any conversion of infrastructures, networks or vehicles".
"In a short time - Amadei announced - Italy will be able to count on a complete infrastructure logistics network to satisfy heavy road and maritime transport and the off-grid sector, using the resources of the National Plan complementary to the PNRR. In the maritime sector, however, the regulatory framework relating to LNG bunkering operations is currently not uniform in all national ports and we await the prompt issuance of the document that the competent General Directorate of the Ministry of Transport is working on together with the General Command of the Port Authorities, starting from the guidelines already developed in 2021 by the National Fire Brigade Corps".
In a note Assogasliquidi recalls some necessary interventions. First of all "intervene to streamline the authorization procedures for LNG infrastructure projects assigned PNC funds. On the road transport front, make a tax credit structural for the expenses related to the purchase of LNG/BioLNG by the haulage company and provide new and more consistent resources for the fund for the renewal of the vehicle fleet, providing significant bonuses for haulage companies that choose to purchase highly sustainable vehicles powered by LNG and BioLNG".
But above all – continues the association – "it is necessary that the recently renewed Community institutions (Parliament and Commission) undertake a concrete review of the Community provisions that today raise strong doubts about the future of fuels and combustibles in their developments of a biological and renewable nature".