The change of particular importance for biomethane relates to the provision imposing on local government units (excluding communes and poviats with a population of less than 50,000) the obligation to provide a certain number of zero-emission buses in the public transport fleet. It is worth mentioning here that the city bus travels about 70,500 km annually.

The legislator introduced a new category of vehicles - buses powered by biomethane, which, on an equal basis with other zero-emission buses (mainly electric ones), will count towards the implementation of this obligation. The required number of this type of buses in public transport fleets from January 1, 2021 is 5%. Subsequently, the threshold of zero-emission buses or buses powered by biomethane will be raised and will be:
10%, from 1 January 2023
20%, as of January 1, 2025
30% from January 1, 2028

As at the end of 2020, 10,725 CNG / LNG-powered vehicles were driving on Polish roads. This is due to the data of the Central Vehicle Register prepared by PZPM (Report on low-emission mobility of the Polish Automotive Industry Association, KPMG in Poland and SSW Pragmatic Solutions).

Currently, the total number of CNG-powered buses is nearly 800 nationwide.
Vehicles currently powered by CNG or LNG can use biomethane (bio-CNG or bio-LNG, i.e. a substitute for compressed or liquefied natural gas) without the need for technical changes.

As indicated in the explanatory memorandum to the draft amendment, the catalog of vehicles that may be taken into account when calculating low-emission buses was additionally extended to include buses powered by biomethane. This is justified, firstly, by extending the catalog of available vehicles that can be used in the modernization of rolling stock, and secondly by the fact that biomethane used as fuel in transport, taking into account also its production, is a low-emission fuel. This change will also stimulate the biomethane market in Poland.

Source:

https://bit.ly/3mDiGH8

18 January 2022