SEA\LNG Defends LNG as 2050 Pathway Fuel
The industry group SEA\LNG, has released a statement saying it believes LNG is a viable pathway to meet the IMO’s 2050 greenhouse gas (GHG) targets.
The maritime industry has two broad but major environmental initiatives related to air emissions; dramatic improvement of global air quality and reduction of GHGs. Reinforcing the case for LNG as a marine fuel, SEA\LNG Chairman Peter Keller said: “In addition to immediate local air quality benefits, LNG offers a commercially viable long-term bridging solution to addressing the IMO GHG targets. LNG, in combination with efficiency measures being developed for new ships in response to the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), will provide a way of meeting the IMO’s target of a 40 percent decrease in GHG by 2030 for international shipping.
“In addition, there are clear technology pathways being developed which should allow further emissions savings to be realized. For example, today, mixing LNG with bioLNG (from biogas) as a ‘drop-in’ fuel significantly reduces GHG emissions. Longer term, ‘power-to-gas’ is a key technology with the potential to produce large volumes of renewable LNG.”
LNG outperforms conventional marine fuels in terms of minimizing local emissions to improve air quality and can significantly reduce GHG emissions. LNG emits zero sulfur oxides (SOx) and virtually zero particulate matter (PM) and compared to existing heavy marine fuel oils, LNG emits 90 percent less nitrogen oxides (NOx). Academic literature shows that realistic reductions of GHG by 10-20 percent are achievable, with a potential for 25 percent or more as technology develops over the coming years, compared with conventional oil-based fuels.
SEA\LNG together with The Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) has commissioned an independent study to establish the facts regarding GHG emissions from LNG as a marine fuel considering all emissions from well-to-wake for LNG and other fuels. This study is currently being reviewed by independent academics and SEA\LNG, and SGMF expects to publish the results in April.
Future technologies that appear to have promise, safety and scalability could be built upon marine fuel infrastructure for LNG and clearly indicate that it is inaccurate to conclude that LNG will not provide a pathway to meeting IMO 2050 GHG ambitions, says Keller. LNG can and does solve the air quality issues the maritime industry has been working on for decades and sets a path forward to meet IMO GHG targets.