In 2016, the ever growing transport sector accounted for almost a fifth of Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions, and realised virtually zero emission reduction compared to 1990. Energy company Uniper’s subsidiary, Liqvis GmbH, is convinced that liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the fuel of the future for the heavy-duty transport and logistics sectors. It builds LNG infrastructure for the commercial transport sector. In 2016, Liqvis opened its first public LNG fuelling station in cooperation with food industry service provider Ludwig Meyer Logistik GmbH & Co. KG in Grünheide, on the eastern stretch of the Berlin beltway (A10). The Federal Ministry of Transport supported the project, which is part of the EU’s growing “Blue Corridor”, a network of LNG fuelling stations along Europe’s main roads. Trucks fuelled by LNG emit less carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter than combustion engines that run on conventional fuels. They even operate more quietly, and according to preliminary calculations by Ludwig Meyer Logistik, each LNG truck could save 50 tonnes of CO2 over the course of five years.

Further reading: CLEW factsheet Road freight emissions in Germany and the CLEW dossier Cargo transport and the energy transition

CLEW research tour: The future of gas in a decarbonised energy system

Date of publication: June 2017