Port of Antwerp gets first natural gas filling station

DATS 24 (the fuel division of the Colruyt Group) and Antwerp Port Authority are to set up the first filling station for natural gas in the port area towards the end of this year. For this project DATS 24 is collaborating with the Dutch company OrangeGas, which specialises in building and operating natural gas and biogas filling stations.

The filling station will be located in the southern part of the port area, in the Vosseschijnstraat. This is close to the Noorderlaan, the E19 slip roads in Merksem and the A12-E19 interchange, making it very accessible for trucks and cars. The site is owned by Antwerp Port Authority.

The filling station is mainly intended to serve the vehicle fleets of companies located within the port. As such it will complement the existing natural gas filling station in Berchem, which is aimed more at city traffic. In the future the filling station may offer other, alternative sources of power as well, such as compressed air and hydrogen. What it will not do is sell conventional fuels derived from oil.

“In setting up this filling station the Port Authority wishes to give further shape to its general policy for sustainable mobility and to encourage the reduction of emissions in the transport sector,” explains Port Authority property manager Björn Verhoeven. Natural gas is seen as an alternative to conventional fuels for vehicles.

As an environment-conscious fuel supplier DATS 24 is currently investing heavily in compressed natural gas (CNG). This is currently considered to be the most “sustainable” type of fuel, with much lower emissions than conventional fuels, LPG and even electric power. However, CNG is only an intermediate step, as DATS 24 aims to switch to biogas by 2015.

“There are now 50 or so CNG stations in the Netherlands and more than 1,000 in Germany,” says DATS 24 manager Raf Flebus. “So it’s high time for us to catch up with our neighbours, especially as large companies in our own country are very enthusiastic. This is certainly the case for our parent company, Colruyt Group, which will soon have an all-CNG fleet of vans for its technical services. In the longer term all its company cars will run on CNG.”

Antwerp, 26 March 2010

The Colruyt Group has for many years been investing in sustainable energy, ranging from wind turbines to solar panels and biomass. By the end of 2011 it will be powered entirely by its own “green” electricity.

Antwerp Port Authority plays a pioneering role in the field of sustainable enterprise, using various sources of renewable energy including wind turbines, photovoltaic systems and heat pumps for heating with dock water. Considerable efforts are also made within the port to combat emissions of harmful substances.