• 19 Jan 2015

Reola Gaas, part of Alexela Group, opened the first liquefied natural gas station in the Baltic States. The company will be trialling the first LNG-fuelled bus Solbus on Tallinn city and suburban lines in the upcoming weeks, the company said in a statement. According to Reola Gaas member of board Allan Pohlak, the arrival of the innovative LNG fuel in Estonia holds symbolic significance.
“LNG is the new alternative liquefied fuel, which is increasingly used in many European countries, including Estonia, due to its economic utility and environmental friendliness. LNG as a fuel is also practical in terms of mobility, as it does not need to be transported through gas pipes,” said Pohlak.
LNG, which is used mainly as heavy transport fuel, is commonly used in the USA and China due to its economic utility and environmental friendliness. In Europe, LNG is a relatively new but vigorously growing fuel.
“Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands and United Kingdom are in the forefront with more and more LNG stations being opened. Eastern-European countries are also eagerly exploring the opportunities that LNG provides. For example, 35 new LNG-fuelled buses will be driving on the streets of Warsaw. We are the pioneers in Estonia. From here, the same bus we are trialling will be going to Slovakia and Hungary for testing. Germany and Lithuania have expressed interest as well. Also heavy vehicle owners, utility service providers and shipping companies are very seriously looking towards LNG,” said Pohlak.
In the upcoming weeks, the first LNG-fuelled bus will be trialled on various routes in Tallinn in cooperation with operators Tallinna Linnatranspordi Aktsiaselts and MRP Linna Liinid. The 12m LNG-fuelled bus Solbus Socity 12 is a low-floor bus and intended for city and suburban lines. The engine of the bus applies to Euro 6 requirements. The first LNG-fuelled bus arrived in Estonia as a result of several years of work, one phase of which was trialling compressed natural gas fuelled bus Solbus in cooperation with operators Tarbus and MRP Liinid.
“Both CNG and LNG have good economic utility and are environmentally friendly fuels. The main difference between them in simplified terms is that LNG-fuelled bus is lighter. CNG is in steam form and pressed into a large container located on top of the bus roof, resembling a hump. Liquid LNG is simply poured into the tank at the back of the bus. LNG-fuelled buses are the lightest of all methane fuelled buses,” described Pohlak.
Reola Gaas also presented the mobile LNG station, which is the first LNG station in the Baltic States. In the upcoming weeks, the station will be located in Tallinn, servicing the LNG-fuelled bus on trial. Source: LNG World News