Uniper and Q1 Energie AG have concluded an agreement regarding the supply of bio-LNG. The renewable fuel is made available for road transport in several German states via the Q1 bio-LNG-net. This co-operation marks the first business relationship between the two companies and emphasises the common goal of continuing to advance low-emission fuel solutions for heavy transport.
“The partnership with Q1 highlights the increasing importance of bio-LNG in the heavy-duty transportation sector. With our integrated bio-LNG supply chain, we have the expertise to provide renewable gases along the entire value chain, from procurement and liquefaction to supplying our customers,” said Nils Beenen, Managing Director at Uniper Energy Sales GmbH.
“With Uniper, we are further expanding our supply capacity for certified bio-LNG and gaining another reliable partner with whom we can jointly drive the transition to lower-emission mobility,” added Sven Haberkorn, Head of Supply & Tank Farms at Q1 Energie AG.
The sustainably-produced biomethane is liquefied at the Gate terminal in Rotterdam using the existing LNG infrastructure and stored temporarily as bio-LNG. It is transported in ISO tank containers from Rotterdam to a central storage point in Germany, where Q1 takes charge of distributing it to filling stations according to need. As the owner, importer, and distributor of the bio-LNG, Uniper is responsible for the entire supply chain from transporting biomethane to liquefying it and on to importing the gas into Germany, and as such it is entitled to claim the resulting GHG quotas.
The bio-LNG that is liquefied at the Gate terminal in Rotterdam is based on sustainably produced biogas, which is generated in an EU member state and processed into biomethane. In the process, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are removed to produce a processed gas equivalent in quality to natural gas. Afterward, the biomethane is fed into the natural gas grid. The gas is transferred at the offtake point and liquefied using the existing LNG infrastructure. The entire supply chain is certified according to internationally accepted certification systems that were recognised by the European Commission in accordance with the Renewable Energy Directive (RED).