The Prospects for Natural Gas as a Transportation Fuel in Europe

In the wake of the recession resulting from the financial crisis of 2008, European demand for natural gas is essentially stagnant and has recently lost market share to coal and renewables in the power generation sector in various European national markets. This factor, as well as the significant price differential between natural gas and oil products since 2008, has created renewed interest in the market for natural gas in transport. Gas in transport is neither new nor revolutionary. An assessment of gas’ prospects in this sector relates to its ability to displace other fuels (existing and new alternatives). An additional complication is the need to consider transportation sub-sectors, namely: light duty road transport, public passenger road transport, freight and goods vehicles and marine and inland waterway shipping. In this comprehensive paper Chris Le Fevre draws on extensive research and discussion with interested bodies to address the case for natural gas in transport, the extent and likelihood of its adoption, the long term implications for additional European gas demand and the key policy drivers and structural challenges which would encourage or inhibit these developments.