Spain: Benidorm Municipal Vehicles Run on Biomethane
(Benidorm City Council/NGV Journal) The service station installed at the Benidorm Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) already supplies renewable natural gas to half a dozen water service and municipal vehicles. The biomethane production unit and the corresponding CNG station is one of the improvements included in the WWTP contract, where photovoltaic energy systems have also been implemented. This investment was assumed by the management company of the facilities, Aquambiente.
The Councilor for the Water Cycle and Mobility José Ramón González de Zárate visited the WWTP facilities to check the operation of this bio-CNG station, operational since 2020. “With the start-up of this station and the use of biomethane, the carbon footprint of the water service vehicle fleet is reduced by not having to deploy other more polluting fuels, while also reducing dependence on external resources,” said the official.
“Both the water and municipal vehicles that run on natural gas have the ECO label from the General Directorate of Traffic, which certifies that they emit less CO2 emissions than conventional vehicles and that, consequently, they are more respectful of the environment,” he added. Specifically, these NGVs generate 25% less CO2 emissions and 75% less NOx, while the particles and SO2 emissions are practically zero.
Biomethane is an energy of renewable origin that is extracted from the biogas that is generated in the facilities by the water purification process. With the recovery of products derived from purification, in this case biogas, sustainability and the circular economy are promoted, fundamental aspects of Benidorm’s sustainable development policy.
“In recent years, from municipal concessionaires such as Hidraqua and from the City Council itself, there has been a firm commitment to sustainable mobility and the acquisition of less polluting vehicles that use alternative energies to gasoline and diesel,” González de Zárate explained. READ MORE