Europe to promote alternative-fuel infrastructure

   The European Parliament could soon establish guidelines to increase the alternative fuel infrastructure across the European Union, adding fueling stations filled with electric, hydrogen and natural gas for ocean and road transport.
   European Commission officials, who celebrated the development, say the vote solves the issue in the alternative fuel industry of not having enough alternative-fuel vehicles on the road to justify a Europe-wide rollout of fueling stations. This lack of alternative-fuel use has prevented wider infrastructure development in the past because it hasn’t been able to be properly justified.
   “I am very pleased with the positive vote,” Siim Kallas, vice president of the European Commission, said in a statement. “It strengthens our proposal, especially as regards the minimum infrastructure coverage, information for consumers and innovation aspects. I am confident that ambitious measures will be adopted soon for the benefit of EU citizens and industry.”
   The guidelines would also ask member states to set alternative-fueling targets that use parliament’s guidelines as a minimum base and to develop programs to reduce urban congestion, among other measures.
   Commission officials said parliament has decided on measures for liquefied natural gas use in the maritime and inland waterways industries that are less rigorous than what the commission had originally proposed.
   “This could lead to market fragmentation, continue the ‘chicken and egg’ spiral of lack of demand because of lack of infrastructure and put at risk member states’ chances of meeting the requirements on sulphur content of marine fuels,” the commission said.