Editorial comment
A wise man (George Bernard Shaw, to be precise) once said: “Progress is impossible without change”. This adage has certainly been true for the LNG industry, which has undergone a number of significant developments in the last decade or so on its journey to becoming a key piece of the global energy puzzle. The topics of ‘progress’ and ‘change’ are particularly well suited to this issue of LNG Industry, which takes a close look at the latest developments in the use of LNG as a transportation fuel.
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A new report from Cedigaz, the International Center for Natural Gas Information, suggests that the use of LNG as a fuel is set to capture “significant market share” in the transport sector by 2035.
The report, entitled ‘LNG in Transportation’, claims that road transport holds the greatest potential for development, with annual demand expected to reach 96 million tpy by 2035 in Cedigaz’s base scenario. The use of LNG as a fuel is also set to grow in the marine and rail sectors, with the report forecasting that demand will climb to 77 million tpy and 6.2 million tpy, respectively.
Despite these optimistic projections, the authors of the report acknowledge that the development of LNG as a transportation fuel faces a number of challenges, and that progress in this sector will have to go hand in hand with the development of fuelling infrastructure.
In an article starting on p. 17 of this issue, Exponent Inc. discusses a number of these challenges, including public risk perception, regulatory hurdles and business risk aversion. In agreement with Cedigaz, Exponent concludes that “Growth in LNG as a transportation fuel will require a drastic growth in infrastructure for the production, storage and distribution of LNG via tanker-truck, locomotive and maritime shipments.”
Although barriers certainly remain, what is clear from the plethora of articles discussing this issue is that the economic and environmental benefits of using LNG as a transportation fuel make too much sense to be ignored. There is no longer any doubt that LNG will become a major fuel for transportation. As Peter Murray, General Manager - LNG Vehicle Fueling Products, Chart Inc., says in his article (starting on p. 36): “After decades of development, the vision of an LNG-fuelled future seems to be closing in on a modern reality.”
This issue of LNG Industry contains a number of articles exploring the changes that the industry must now make in order to ensure that LNG fulfils its significant potential as a fuel of choice for road, marine and rail transport over the coming years.
Like the LNG industry, the world of publishing has also undergone a number of significant changes in recent years with the emergence of the digital age. LNG Industry has embraced these changes with our industry leading website and online versions of the magazine, offering our readers even more ways to keep up to date with the latest industry news and expert opinion. I am now pleased to announce the launch of our latest product – a brand new app for Apple and Android devices. Readers can view the latest issue of LNG Industry on their tablet or smartphone, completely free of charge. Simply visit our website to register: www.lngindustry.com/lng-app/.
