Today at the annual Flame gas conference in Amsterdam, Swiss Gaznat joined the 5 gas infrastructure companies from the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and France which have committed to actively contributing to the development of a carbon neutral gas supply by 2050. Gas infrastructure enables the transport and storage of energy on a scale unmatched by other energy systems. It is as such essential to the achievement of the EU's low-carbon ambitions. 

Leaders of the independent European gas infrastructure companies Gasunie (Netherlands), Fluxys (Belgium), Energinet.dk (Denmark), Swedegas (Sweden) and GRTgaz (France) met in Amsterdam at the annual Flame gas conference, where the cooperation was further expanded when Swiss Gaznat was formally accepted as a new member. The CEO of Gaznat states: "We are proud to become one of the partners in this cooperation that aims to provide a 100% carbon-neutral gas supply in 2050. It is clear that we can all only benefit from working together."

The companies have formed active working groups focussing on the following topics:

  • Biomethane and green gas certificates 
  • Gas (CNG and LNG) as fuel for road and maritime transport 
  • Power-to-gas

To start with, the infrastructure companies have mapped the regulatory framework for biomethane injection and brought key players together to explore ways to establish a common green gas certificate market that will link producers and customers together, including cross-border. The partners have exchanged experiences in upgrading biogas to biomethane to make it compatible with gas infrastructure specifications.

Additionally, the partners in this initiative exchange and discuss best practices and general business cases with regard to gas as fuel for transport. A smarter and harmonised use of CNG and LNG technologies across Europe is required in order to release its green potential.

Finally, the partners are also exploring the potential of power-to-gas technologies that aim at further strengthening the link between electricity and gas systems. Power-to-gas technology makes it possible to store a temporary surplus of wind and sun energy in gas infrastructure, allowing it to be used at a later moment. In this way gas infrastructure delivers additional flexibility to the electricity system.

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