Year: 2018

The new service station allows the supply of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to trucks and vehicles

HAM has opened the first gas station in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, located in Merida, at exit 341 of the A-5 or Southwest motorway, also known as the Extremadura highway, one of the six radial highways that can be found in Spain.

This new service station has a great strategic importance in the national geography, since it will allow to refuel compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to all those vehicles that make the route between Madrid and Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. In addition, the route of the A-5 unites the autonomous communities of Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura. It should also be noted that the gas station is on the vertical axis that represents the A66, which runs from north to south of Extremadura, and that links Seville with Oviedo.

After being one of the first companies to provide LNG for industrial use in Extremadura, HAM considers the vehicular gas sector in this autonomous community as a future commitment. First we installed a mobile LNG unit and now we open the first fixed station of CNG and LNG.

The new service station opened by HAM makes available to all users a double compressed natural gas (CNG) pump, for light vehicles and trucks, and a double liquefied natural gas (LNG) pump for trucks. innovative dual-fuel system of LNG and CNG, designed and manufactured by HAM, allows two vehicles to be refueled at the same time in a single pump.

This natural gas supply station, with which Mérida will count, will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, allowing customers to access the supply with the HAM card for professionals and with any credit card.

With the opening of the first gas station in Extremadura, in Mérida, HAM currently has 30 stations in the national territory and the rest of Europe. This confirms the commitment to compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an alternative, efficient, clean and sustainable fuel that minimizes the negative impact on the environment, reducing the emission of nitrous oxides, fine particles and sulfur oxides, which affect air quality. In addition, the use of natural gas as fuel, allows savings between 30-50%, with respect to the use of fossil fuels derived from oil, which have a higher rate of contamination.

HAM Group opened its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) service station in 2000 and currently have the largest experience in Europe in the vehicular LNG sector, in addition to commercializing the largest volume of liquefied natural gas for vehicular use. We are benchmarks for other companies in the sector in the commitment to compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an alternative to diesel and gasoline.

At HAM we work every day to strengthen the network of CNG and LNG service stations. We are currently studying various projects that will allow us to open new refueling points for compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas in various parts of the Spanish and European geography.

CNG and LNG Mobile Station in Santiago

* Currently the mobile unit is no longer located in Santiago *

Check our service stations

Grupo HAM has inaugurated a mobile natural gas unit at the Santiago de Compostela gas station, located at Via Pasteaur, 25 (How to get there). With this new service station, HAM offers its customers the possibility of refueling liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG). To refuel their vehicles, customers can use any credit card and HAM cards for professionals.

Currently we have several mobile service stations spread across different parts of the state geography and the rest of Europe, which allow the presence of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) in different points where customers do not have easy access. This fuel is increasingly widespread, since liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) are considered an alternative fuel, clean and sustainable, which allows the reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions and eliminates fine particles and sulfur oxides, that are found in fossil fuels derived from petroleum. In addition licicuado natural gas (LNG), in the same way that compressed natural gas (CNG), allows a saving of between 30% and 50% to all our customers.

With this initiative, HAM maintains its leadership in the natural gas sector, always committed to its customers and being a benchmark for our competitors, since we are the company with more experience in the liquefied natural gas sector in Europe and who market a greater LNG volume for said use.

At HAM we work with the objective of strengthening our current structure of compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas service stations.

The mobile unit allows to refuel liquefied natural gas (LNG)

HAM Group has inaugurated a liquefied natural gas (LNG) mobile unit at the Benavente service station, located on Cañada Berciario street, next to the Valcarce Benavente service station (How to get there).

With this new mobile unit, HAM meets the demand of its customers and offers the possibility of refueling liquefied natural gas (LNG) with the HAM card for professionals or with any credit card they have.

With the opening of this service station, HAM increases its number of mobile liquefied natural gas (LNG) service stations that it has in Spain and the rest of Europe. Customers can thus access a fuel increasingly demanded. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is considered a sustainable and clean fuel, alternative to fossil fuels derived from petroleum. In addition to polluting less, LNG allows our customers to save between 30%-50%, with respect to the prices of other fuels.

HAM, committed to the environment, continues betting on compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas, as it reduces the emission of nitrous oxides and eliminates fine particles and oxides of sulfur that contain fossil fuels derived from oil.

We are currently working to strengthen our structure of LNG and CNG service station, keeping our company as a leader in the liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas and vehicular natural gas sector. We are the company with the most experience in the vehicular natural gas sector in Europe and with the highest volume of LNG sales for this use.

Embracing the high demand:

The facility allows to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) to trucks and vehicles

HAM has opened a new gas station in Zaragoza, in the town of Alfajarín. Located in the El Saco Industrial Park, N-II kilometer 341, it occupies a strategic point within the national geography for the refueling of vehicles that make a route between Madrid and France, passing through Guadalajara, Zaragoza, Lleida, Barcelona and Girona.

This service station, easily accessible, with shop and coffee shop; It has a double liquefied natural gas (LNG) pump for trucks and a double compressed natural gas (CNG) pump for trucks and light vehicles. The innovative dual-fuel system of LNG and CNG, designed and manufactured by HAM, allows refueling two LNG and LNG vehicles in a single pump.

The gas station in Alfajarín joins the 22 stations currently operated by HAM, confirming our commitment to the environment, betting on promoting LNG and CNG as an alternative, clean and sustainable fuel, which reduces nitrous oxides emissions and It eliminates fine particles and sulfur oxides, improving the quality of the air we breathe and reducing the negative impact on the environment. In addition, the use of natural gas is cheaper and saves between 30-50% compared to the use of fossil fuels derived from oil.

In Ham Group we were pioneers in building the first LNG station in the Peninsula and we are currently the company with the most experience in Europe in the vehicular LNG sector and who commercialize a greater volume of liquefied natural gas for vehicular use. We have become a reference for other companies in the sector, betting on compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas as an alternative to gasoline and diesel.

HAM continues working to expand and strengthen the structure of current service stations, with the intention of continuing to open new LNG and CNG refueling points in the main cities of Spain.

Embracing the high demand:

Q: HAM has been involved in the gas market for more than 10 years, where do you think the vehicular gas market is going? Is it evolving at the rate you thought it would?

Vehicular has been growing very fast during the last few years, thanks to the market introduction of new truck models powered with LNG, and LNG refueling stations. At HAM we sell and transport LNG, as well as construct and operate LNG vehicular facilities. Before January we were selling around 1 million kg/month in our own stations but from June we have been selling around 2.5 million kg/month, so the market is definitely expanding.

Today we have around 60 trucks running day and night in double turn to supply all of our customers because there is a huge demand. As well, we have around 40 LNG stations. There are a lot of trucks in Spain so if only 5% work in LNG, it is already a lot. More supply comes through pipes (not liquified) or vessels (LNG) and they go into cryogenic trucks to supply LNG stations. Liquifying from pipeline gas is prohibitively expensive for us.

Q: Do you think the new Eu ropean regulation on heavy-duty vehicle emissions is supporting or hindering the development of the vehicular LNG market?

I think it is supporting it. Further reduction of CO2 emissions is challenging. However, PM (particle pollution) is almost zero and NOx as well. As for alternatives, Electric and Hydrogen for heavy-duty trucks are not ready today. We had (past) grants from the EC to develop the market through other projects similar to COLHD, like Chameleon – which studies the LNG powered freight market on the Mediterranean Corridor between Barcelona and Slovenia. We also have Spanish Grants for the development of mobile stations in Spain in order to establish corredors.

Q: Which type of clients are demanding cleaner fleets?

Our main clients are retail customers – big consumer products distribution companies. As a transportation company, if you want to continue working for these clients, you need to offer cleaner fleets. Another approach taken by some companies is to use grants to introduce LNG trucks, as there are a lot of handicaps to change fleets to LNG – like not enough LNG stations. We only know one company using electric trucks but they don’t cover long distances.

Q: Where would you like to see your company in 5 years? Where would you like to expand to and how is your engagement in COLHD contributing to this vision?

We want to be present in France and Northern Europe (Belgium, NL, Germany) and the COLHD project represents an excellent platform to help achieve this objective. We are working with big companies in France and have some small facilities in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, but we hope to expand these in the next few years. We are also developing the market in South America (Chile, Peru, Argentina). In Chile, we have a factory repairing LNG road trucks. In Peru we operate the same business in Spain (selling and transporting LNG).

Q: Do you have any additional insights?

 As well as the road sector, we work with marine applications. Their consumption is much bigger than trucks and changes are happening fast. In the future we expect LNG shortage to refill all vessels. In turn, this could affect global prices, for road and household applications.

HAM, Port de Barcelona and GALP present the first gas station in the state port system

The installation allows the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed (CNG) to trucks and vehicles

HAM, Port de Barcelona and GALP have presented today the first natural gas station of the state port system, a key facility to promote the use of natural gas as an alternative fuel for land transport of goods. The event was attended by the Marketing and Strategy manager of the HAM Group, Antoni Murugó Solé; the president of the Port of Barcelona, Mercè Conesa; the Environmental manager of the Port, Jordi Vila; the commercial manager of Gas & Power of GALP, Fernando Martín-Nieto Vaquero.

The gas station is located into the GALP service station on the Y Street in the Port of Barcelona and is the result of the agreement between HAM, in charge of the construction and operation of the LNG station, and GALP, which has carried out the improvement of the facilities. In addition, its construction has been financed by European funds, through the CHAMeleon project, aimed at developing the gas supply infrastructure as vehicular fuel in the Barcelona-Slovenia land corridor. The new facility has two compressed natural gas (CNG) pumps for trucks and vehicles, two liquefied natural gas (LNG) pumps for trucks and a cryogenic LNG tank of 60 m3 capacity.

The commissioning of this infrastructure is part of the Port of Barcelona’s Air Quality Improvement Plan, which aims to effectively reduce emissions from port activity. “This gas station  is proof of the strong will of the Port of Barcelona to promote the use of an alternative, clean and sustainable fuel such as natural gas, which significantly reduces nitrous oxides emissions and eliminates completely Fine particles and oxides of sulfur, “said Mercè Conesa, president of the Port of Barcelona.

In the port area it is estimated that around 2,200 trucks transport goods to various destinations and origins of the area of influence (hinterland) of the Port. Currently, more than 60 trucks are powered by natural gas, either with dedicated engines (that work exclusively with gas) or with dual engines (which combine the use of diesel and natural gas). Of these, 26 trucks were transformed into the dual system thanks to the RePort project, led and coordinated by the Port of Barcelona with the support of ACCIÓ.

This gas station stands out, as pointed out by the Head of Marketing and Strategy of the HAM Group, Antoni Murugó Solé, for its “excellent location in a key logistics point such as the Port of Barcelona”. “This gas station is added to the 21 stations operated by HAM and confirms our commitment to the environment and our firm commitment to LNG as a fuel for heavy transport.”

Likewise, “this gas station is a key element to guarantee the supply of natural gas to the trucks operating in the Port area, to promote the use of this alternative fuel and, ultimately, to improve the quality of the air we breathe”, stressed Conesa. The commercial manager of Gas & Power of GALP, Fernando Martín-Nieto Vaquero, explained how the newly inaugurated installation is “one more step” within the GALP transversal sustainability action plan. “GALP’s commitment to combat climate change pivots on three axes: reducing emissions associated with fuels; promote energy efficiency and the incorporation of renewable energies; and actively participate in the development of sustainable mobility solutions”, Martín-Nieto stressed.

HAM Group congratulates of having being selected by Volvo Trucks to provide the LNG mobile unit for fueling its Volvo Gas Power trucks during the last Test & Drive event that took place in Hellered-(Sweden) in April and May, close to Gothenburg truck’s manufacturer facilities.

The used HAM mobile unit has a capacity of 30 m3 and uses just 1 hose as per Volvo tank requirements to remove boil off and refill with LNG all in one, an average of 10 LNG gas power trucks have been fueled per day with an easy and handy filling system for drivers.

HAM Group also supplied the LNG mobile unit during the Volvo Test& Drive event that took place in Castelloli-(Barcelona) last October & November 2017.

Our company is developing LNG/CNG solutions for vehicles, industrial and bunkering since 2000, helping to reduce CO2 /NOx and polluting particles for a better environment.