BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 19. Shell has opened a new bio-LNG plant in the Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland near Cologne, Germany, TurkicWorld reports.

Construction of the bio-LNG plant began in February 2022, with three LNG tanks installed later that year. Originally slated for completion by the end of 2023, the facility's launch was anticipated.

Alongside the tanks, the plant features a liquefaction unit, gas treatment system, and truck loading facilities. With a capacity of approximately 100,000 tons, the plant will supply bio-LNG to Shell’s expanding network of LNG filling stations across the country.

The plant's output can meet the yearly demands of around 4000 to 5000 LNG-powered trucks, potentially reducing CO2 emissions by up to a million tons annually compared to conventional diesel trucks, according to Shell Germany.

Shell’s European network comprises 90 stations for LNG truck refueling, including 36 in Germany.

In the previous year, Shell finalized a nearly $2 billion deal to acquire 100 percent ownership of Denmark-based biogas producer Nature Energy Biogas.

The company is presently engaged in constructing additional biogas plants in Germany.