Swedish Gas Association Hosts NGV2013 in Gothenburg

 Swedish Gas Association Hosts NGV2013 in Gothenburg

NGV2013 Gothenburg, the 4th NGVA Europe International Show & Workshops, was successfully held from 11 to 13 June 2013 in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. Hosted by The Swedish Gas Association (Energigas) and organised by the NGV Communications Group, the NGV event of the year included an extensive exhibition, a series of five informative workshops and a unique study tour.

Living up to the expectations, the fair attracted more than 1.500 visitors, who came to see the products and services showcased by more than 60 exhibitors. In addition, 180 participants attended the series of workshops that featured presentations by high level speakers providing valuable insight into key topics related to methane as the alternative fuel for all transport modes.

The opening ceremony was attended by officials from the Municipality of host city Gothenburg, worldwide NGV associations as well as leading business representatives. Among the attendees were Anders Mathiasson (Managing Director of the Swedish Gas Association, Energigas), Daniela Rosca (Head of the European Commissions’ Unit for Clean Transport and Sustainable Urban Mobility), Helmut Morsi (Deputy Head of Unit “Trans-European Network”, TENtec & Innovation), Gerhard Holtmeier (Chairman of NGVA Europe), Mariarosa Baroni (President of NGV Italy) and Niklas Gustavsson (Senior Vice President Volvo Group).

“We appreciate the close cooperation with the European Commission as well as the commitment by Volvo and the Italian NGV industry. I also want to express my gratitude to Energigas for hosting this year’s event,” said Holtmeier.

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The workshops’ list of speakers included industry executives and top European policy makers examining political, technical and practical questions regarding the use of CNG & LNG (natural gas & biomethane) as a fuel. Information on best practices, successful policies as well as customer experience was shared by leading experts, who discussed their findings with the public. The section was kicked off by the Opening Session on June 11, featuring Kia Andreasson (Gothenburg City Council & Chairman of Göteborg Energi), Volvo Group’s Niklas Gustavsson and NGVA Europe’s Gerhard Holtmeier.

Moreover, the European Commission welcomed participants in the form of a special address given by Daniela Rosca, who highlighted the key role CNG and LNG play in the EU’s efforts to reduce Europe’s dependency on crude oil. Rosca emphasised the importance of EU funded projects, in particular referring to the recently launched LNG Blue Corridors Project and the impact the initiative will have on the European LNG infrastructure in the years to come.

The key note speaker on behalf of the European Commission in the “Successful Policies” workshop was TEN-T’s Helmut Morsi, who presented important facts and developments regarding TENtec & Innovation, the main funding programme of the EU for transport infrastructure that includes CNG and LNG refuelling. The group of high-level speakers from industry and users involved in the road & maritime application of mathane included specialists from Volvo, Daimler, Fiat, Audi, Westport, Wartsilä, Linde, Shell, Depa, dena, the Swedish Ship Owner’s Association, Gasrec, DHL, Tesco, TMB or the Stobart Group, amongst many others. Their presentations delivered valuable and detailed insight into their companies’ plans to extend the NGV commitment whilst stressing the importance to increasingly use natural gas and biomethane in transport.

Organised by NGV Communications Group, a comprehensive Study Tour was also part of the event, taking participants to Volvo Trucks’ factory and Volvo Cars/Westport Sweden Integration Center, followed by a visit to Stig Center LNG/CNG filling station. In addition, attendants made a trip to the Gryaab biogas production plant and were also given the opportunity to experience an NGV test drive at Volvo’s test track.

Furthermore, NGVA held its General Meeting within the activities of NGV2013 Gothenburg. This year’s assembly approved the requests by three members to join the association’s Board of Directors: Clean Air Power, Holding Energie Italiane and Raufoss Hexagon. The NGVA Europe Board of Directors from now on counts 18 members.

The exhibition inside the Swedish Exhibition Center featured NGV-related companies from all over the world presenting and promoting their latest products and services. Among them were worldwide leading OEMs like Fiat Automobiles showcasing its CNG models Fiat Punto and Fiat Dobló, Volvo Trucks plus several conversions carried out by TUV, BRC and Greenes. Daimler presented the new gas powered Mercedes-Benz B-class and its Econic garbage truck, Audi the new A3 GTron. Also, the Audi e-gas project was presented during the workshops.

Remarkably, Volvo chose NGV2013 Gothenburg to world premier its new V 60 Bi-Fuel model, which is expected to go on sale in Sweden this year’s October. With a 213 horsepower engine that can generate torque of 300 Nm, the bi-fuel system offers a total driving range of 1.120 kilometres. When running on renewable CNG (biomethane), greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced compared to conventional fuels and the vehicle benefits from tax incentives that have been recently extended by Swedish authorities. The V 60 Bi-Fuel’s engine is manufactured in Volvo’s engine plant in Skövde, near Gothenburg, and then equipped with a Westport gas fuel management system at Volvo’s Torslande plant in Gothenburg. Westport and Volvo Car Group are currently in discussions to offer the Volvo V60 Bi-Fuel car in other markets as well.

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Source: NGVA Europe, June 24, 2013