Gas Networks Ireland has launched its Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Fund making up to EUR 20 000 available to businesses towards the purchase of a new Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV). The Vehicle Fund will make a total of EUR 700 000 of funding available to transport operators. This will support the purchase of a range of commercial vehicles including trucks, buses and vans powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and is part of a process to promote natural gas as a transport fuel in Ireland.
According to a statement, the Vehicle Fund is supported by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and is co-financed by the European Union’s TEN-T Programme under the Connecting Europe Facility as part of the Causeway Project.
CNG is natural gas which has been compressed to fit into a vehicle’s tank and is particularly suitable for use in commercial vehicles. A proven alternative to diesel or petrol, CNG provides the greatest cost saving and emission reduction benefits for transport operators.
CNG is an established technology throughout the world. Worldwide, there are 19 million NGVs in operation, and of these, 1.9 million are in Europe. With the introduction of renewable natural gas (RNG) into the Irish market, NGVs will be able to move seamlessly to a zero carbon, renewable fuel.
20 percent of Irish emissions from transportation
Energy required for transport accounts for approximately one third of Ireland’s total energy consumption. Transport emissions account for 20 percent of Ireland’s total emissions. The Government has statutory targets to achieve in relation to increasing renewable energy use in transport and reducing the country’s overall emission levels.
While significant progress has been made in de-carbonising electricity generation, much less has been achieved in terms of reducing transport emissions. CNG and Renewable Gas can play a major role in reducing emissions for individual companies and for Ireland.
The Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Fund is part of an overall strategy to provide commercial vehicle operators with a viable alternative to traditional fuels, both in Ireland and across Europe. Gas Networks Ireland is developing a national 70 station CNG refuelling network to provide nationwide coverage for vehicles operating on Irish roads. This national network will complement the pan European CNG network, which is already under development.
The Vehicle Fund will support transport operators around the country to switch from vehicles powered by heavy emission fuels to a cleaner and cheaper gas alternative. The switch to CNG will facilitate a fuel-cost saving of up to 35 percent, a 22 percent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a 70 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and an 80 percent reduction in sulphur dioxide (SOx) emissions compared with diesel. In December 2016, we announced the development of the first 14 CNG refuelling stations of an initial 70 station network. Development of the CNG Network will also ensure that Renewable Gas becomes part of Ireland’s transport fuel mix providing the only fully carbon-neutral fuel source for commercial transport, said Denis O’Sullivan, Head of Commercial at Gas Networks Ireland.
A number of vehicle manufacturers currently provide a comprehensive range of NGVs to Irish fleet operators. Both Iveco and Scania launched NGV models into the Irish market in 2016, and other major vehicle manufacturers, and their Irish distributors, are also expected to launch new NGV models into the Irish market in the coming months.
Applications are only valid once all required information is provided. Applicants must have a business registered in Ireland and confirm that the vehicle will complete a minimum km travel distance per year according to the vehicle type for which funding is sought. Terms and conditions apply with further details available from Gas Networks Ireland.
