Axègaz commences operations at French LNG station

Axègaz has announced that operations have commenced on the public LNG service station that it developed on the Lille-Lesquin CRT, France. The station is the first facility in the Axègaz European LNG Motion project, with other public stations due to open at Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, Dijon, Corbas and Orange by the end of 2016.

The Development Director at Axègaz Solutions Transport, Edouard de Montmarin, said: “In the long-term, the network will consist of 42 stations in nine European countries, for sustainable road transport.”

The facility is based on a 20 m³ compact service station design, and is located on a 2500 m² plot. It is compliant with French regulations regarding safety at ICPE sites and is MID approved. It will seek to serve French and other European carriers with LNG trucks.

The facility will offer bio-methane or bio-LNG, and is open for self-service through the use of an Axègaz card. The free-of-charge card automatically confirms the identity of the driver and his/her vehicle registration number.

The station is able is to refuel up to approximately 20 vehicles regularly. The driver will be able to refuel with LNG in the same time it would take to refuel with diesel. Nonetheless, he/she will have to wear individual protection equipment.

De Montmarin added: “The prices offered are clear and very cost-effective, are known in advance, and are on a sliding scale according to quantity. With a difference of 15 euro cents between a kilo of gas and a litre of diesel, the additional cost of a gas-fuelled vehicle is amortized in less than two years, as from 100 000 km/yr.”

A further 60 m³ will be added in storage capacity to the station in 2017. LNG distribution will be tripled, with the introduction of a CNG pump.

Edited from press release by David Rowlands

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/07062016/axegaz-commences-operations-at-french-lng-station-2560/