“Natural gas and renewable gases are the right step on the road to transport decarbonisation”

10 July, 2020

Eugenia Sillero has been the Secretary General of Gasnam, the Iberian Association for natural gas-powered mobility, since 2018. Its aim is to promote the use of natural and renewable gas in mobility, both on land and at sea in the Iberian Peninsula. As part of our series of interviews with women from the energy sector, today she shares with us her views on equality, leadership and the challenges facing the sector in the coming years.

  • In your opinion, what is the current situation in terms of gender equality in the energy sector?

There are many brilliant women who are taking positions of major responsibility in the energy sector, although unfortunately there are still far more men, especially beyond the areas most closely associated with female leadership (Administration, Communication, Human Resources, and so on).

This is changing, more and more women are interested in technology, innovation or entrepreneurship and companies are concerned about incorporating young women into their workforces and involving themselves in retaining them throughout their career development.

In my opinion the focus should be on talent and there is a lot of female talent that can bring great benefits in business management.

  • What leadership model do you think is needed within the sector to meet the challenges of the energy transition?

The energy transition is a major challenge and like all major challenges it requires great commitment and getting rid of complacency to continue to improve.

Traditional leadership models have valued charisma and courage, traits that were considered masculine. Today, other characteristics such as the ability to listen, empathy, inclusion, flexibility or the capacity to innovate are attributed to women.

All these management methods can be implemented by both men and women, but what is clear is that all of them are necessary to face this great challenge.

Eugenia Sillero

  • In September, Gasnam will hold its first online sustainable mobility congress. What are the challenges facing mobility in a context also marked by the COVID-19 crisis?

The Green Gas Mobility Online Event will be held on 22, 23 and 24 September and will feature conferences by national and international experts, a virtual fair and multiple networking resources to ensure that the entire professional network has access.

This online congress will avoid the emission of 574 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of planting 7,174 trees or the emissions of 198 cars over one year.

The energy and transport sector will come together for three days to analyse the opportunities offered by biomethane, hydrogen and low-carbon gas to achieve the desired climate objectives in the different modes of transport, all within a context in which the European Green Deal is positioned as the core of the recovery plan for the COVID-19 crisis.

The energy transition is a major challenge and like all major challenges it requires great commitment and getting rid of complacency to continue to improve.

The Green Gas Mobility Online Event will address the challenges facing transport today in more than 50 conferences, B2B meetings, and a large virtual exhibition.

  • What role do you think natural gas and renewable gases will play in the recovery?

Natural gas and renewable gases will play a key role in an economic recovery that is committed to renewable energies, sustainability and the circular economy.

Battery-based electromobility is unlikely to be the answer to decarbonising heavy long-distance transport or shipping. Natural gas has proven to be a technologically mature solution that brings significant environmental benefits, especially to those modes of transport where batteries are not a solution.

It is, therefore, a sensible step for achieving the desired goal of decarbonisation that also facilitates the penetration of renewable energy in transport.

Because renewable gases can be mixed with conventional gas to reduce the carbon content of the mixture, without the need to change vehicles or the fuel logistics infrastructure, the transition from a fossil-based world to a largely carbon-neutral environment can begin today by providing immediate reductions in emissions.