Research & Innovation

As part of the second round of its Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Fund, Gas Networks Ireland has awarded six transport companies €20,000 each towards the purchase of a Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV). The Fund supports the purchase of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered commercial vehicles including trucks, buses and vans. Grants to support the purchase of 33 vehicles have previously been awarded to 18 transport companies in Ireland as part of this scheme.

CNG is natural gas which has been compressed to fit into a NGV’s tank and is particularly suitable for use in commercial vehicles. It is a proven alternative to diesel or petrol and reduces transport costs by up to a quarter and carbon emissions by 22%. These vehicles can achieve zero carbon transport when operating on renewable gas. There are an estimated 25 million NGVs in operation worldwide, and almost two million in Europe.

The Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Fund is supported by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) in Ireland and is co-financed by the European Union’s TEN-T Programme under the Connecting Europe Facility as part of the Causeway Project.

Niall Lord, Managing Director of Food Surplus Management Ltd, said: “We have being operating two CNG vehicles for almost a year now thanks to the funding from Gas Networks Ireland. We know we can reduce emissions and fuel costs and at the same time reduce our carbon footprint. Our experience to date with Scania CNG vehicles has been a very positive one.”

Ian O’Flynn, Head of Commercial and Corporate Affairs at Gas Networks Ireland, said: “Transport accounts for over 20% of carbon emissions and almost a third of Ireland’s energy consumption. Only 3% of vehicles on Irish roads are HGVs, however they use 20% of Ireland’s transport energy. As the operator of Ireland’s gas network, we are leading the development of this new, cleaner transport network, to support Ireland in reducing its carbon emissions.

“It is very encouraging that the Government recognises the potential and opportunity for CNG in transport. The recently published Climate Action Plan calls for increased levels of CNG and outlines goals to deliver public CNG fuelling stations.”