The acronym LNG refers to liquefied natural gas.

It is methane gas that has undergone a special liquefaction process and is composed of a mixture of hydrocarbons consisting mainly of methane (formed by one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms) in a percentage ranging from 90% to 99% (other secondary components are ethane, propane and butane).

It appears essentially as a colorless, odorless fluid with a density about half that of water.

LNG is, at present, the only solution that can overcome the obvious difficulties created by the lack of natural gas and the geographical distance between extraction wells and places of use.

Due to the liquefaction process, which takes place at a temperature of about - 162 °C, there is a considerable reduction in the volume of the gas by about 600 times, which enables, at competitive costs, the storage and transportation of considerable amounts of energy in considerably smaller spaces.

The long-distance movement of LNG from the production site usually takes place by sea by means of LNG carriers (in which it remains almost entirely in the liquid phase at a pressure not exceeding 0.25 bar).

The possibility of transporting it in tanks and containers of different sizes makes it possible to reach all regasification plants and ensure flexibility in supply.

It has been shown how the use of Compressed Methane, transported by tank wagons or tank vehicles, is less effective than Liquid Methane when applied to all those realities not reached by methane pipeline and consequently lacking this raw material, such as the region of Sardinia.

To supply gas to Sardinian municipalities, for example, would have required several hundred tanker vehicles, which would have had to be procured on the mainland due to lack of raw material on the island.
These vehicles can transport an amount of Compressed Natural Gas between 3500 and 4000 Sm3 each (at the maximum pressure of 65 bar), while, through the use of a Liquefied Natural Gas tank vehicle, it is possible to transport an amount of LNG equivalent to that contained in about 12 Compressed Natural Gas tank vehicles at 65 bar.

The advantages of this fuel, however, are not limited only to flexibility in supply and efficiency in storage.

In fact, methane gas is the cleanest fossil fuel, and its combustion produces only water vapor and a small amount of carbon dioxide, much less than that produced by burning other fossil fuels.
LNG, after being regasified into methane gas, ensures combustion that is essentially free of residues such as dust or soot and poses no risk of water or soil pollution.