OREANDA-NEWS. Total yesterday officially inaugurated its first natural gas fueling station in France, in Nantes. Natural gas fuel is an alternative fuel primarily used by trucks and transporters of materials or goods, such as garbage trucks, and passengers, such as buses. Another 15 stations will be opened this year, followed by an additional 10 a year. The aim is to create a network of 110 outlets — either Total or AS24, the Group affiliate specialized in marketing fuel to truckers and transporters — supplying natural gas fuel in France,.

 “As part of the energy transition, natural gas could become the fuel of the future for road transportation,” commented Momar Nguer, President, Total Marketing & Services. “Total is a global gas player present across the value chain; we want to promote its development, especially for the truckers and transporters we serve. To support this aim, we are expanding our network of fueling stations retailing natural gas fuel.”

Total already has a network of 450 natural gas fueling stations worldwide. The Group markets compressed natural gas (CNG) in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Egypt, Pakistan and now in France. It opened its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling station in 2015, in Belgium, near the port of Antwerp.

Total will continue the deployment of a dense enough network to meet the needs of its customers. The Group plans to open more than 200 natural gas fueling stations, including 110 in France. Its target market is the transportation sector in Europe, where it could leverage its existing network of more than 9,000 retail outlets for businesses and consumers. The priorities will be accelerating growth in markets where Total is already active in natural gas fuel (Germany and the Benelux countries) and further expansion in France, where demand is expected to grow in response to the requirements of the E.U. directive of October 22, 2014 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure.