The first Walloon bioCNG service station was inaugurated this Wednesday in Jambes (Namur). By 2030, the region is expected to have 220.
It was in the presence of the Walloon Minister of Energy, Philippe Henry (Ecolo) and the mayor of Namur, Maxime Prévot (cdH), that the first service station offering bioCNG (compressed natural gas produced from agricultural waste) was inaugurated this Wednesday morning at Jambes. It is the oil company Total which is at the origin of the operation, confirming in passing its desire to reduce its dependence on hydrocarbons while broadening the spectrum of its know-how to “energies” in the broader sense.
“We are targeting 18% of vehicles running on bioCNG in Wallonia by 2030.”
If the event may seem anecdotal, it nevertheless testifies to the region’s desire to offer alternatives to traditional fuels. “This is one more step towards carbon neutrality in Belgium“, welcomed Bernadette Spinoy, CEO of Total Belgium.
2030 target
Today, some 3,000 vehicles are running on CNG in Wallonia. By 2030, the region aims to increase this figure to 300,000. “We are targeting 18% of vehicles running on bioCNG by 2030,” said Minister Henry. “Low-carbon fuel must take a legitimate place and we aim to install 220 service stations during the current decade,” he continued.
(Very) ambitious goals, especially since the CNG has difficulty in attracting individuals. Today, it is more heavy-duty vehicles that rely on this type of fuel. “It is because there are stations that demand can be created,” the Minister of Energy said on this subject.