The guidelines for local authorities for granting an LNG refuelling station permit have been developed by the IFV
As a result of the lack knowledge about LNG as a the new upcoming transport fuel, local authorities are granting LNG refuelling station related permits on different grounds and with different requirements (Wensink 2013). This is not a preferred situation, because this makes it for investors in the LNG refuelling stations difficult to have an overview of the final investment needs for the LNG facility and creates uncertainty about the total timing of the permit granting process. Also the authorities prefer a consistent approach throughout the country for interpretation of codes and regulations. The latter often has to balance the broader interest of the local population against the business interests and needs to be able to communicate properly about related risks.
The guidelines provide a series of considerations for the decision-making authorities to allow them to make a proper balance between various interests for which they are responsible and to provide guidelines for communication with their citizens. The guidelines are fully supported by the local safety advisors (ROD and RVD) and also include a process describing which steps to take at any point in time with the necessary advisories. The guidelines are expected to expedite the decision-making process and introduce regional and national consistency for granting permits.
The guidelines for local authorities for granting an LNG refuelling station permit will become available at a later time.