Antonio Nicotra – Biography

Antonio Nicotra (1950, Doctor in Organic Chemistry by the University of Catania, 1973 “summa cum laude”) is a freelance specialist in Oil & Gas, with over 45 years of activity in the fossil & renewable fuels sector, always aiming at optimizing energy sustainability on “well-to-wheel” basis and on the progressive replacement of fossil fuels with the corresponding molecules of biological/renewable origin, to achieve the goal of “net-zero” - “carbon-neutral” balance of greenhouse gas emissions.

He has also focused his attention to the most efficient & sustainable final applications of energy such as micro-turbines for electricity and hydrogen fuel cells.

Before retiring in 2017, AN was the Head of the "LNG for Transport" activities of the Gasfin Group, a private Luxembourg holding company, reference shareholder of TGE Gas Engineering GmbH and TGE Marine Gas Engineering SA (specialized in LNG engineering & construction of LNG Terminals and LNG carriers) and promoter of innovative solutions for the production, transport and use of LNG for smaller energy centres not reachable by the gas pipeline network and for all types of mobility: maritime, land by road or rail and aviation.

AN was also President and Partner of Liquimet S.p.A., a company of the Gasfin Group established in 2016 in Italy to develop and build a network of LNG refuelling infrastructures in the transport strategic hubs (Ports & Interports) of the Italian TEN-T corridors. The first realization was the LCNG refuelling station of the Interporto di Padova, which receives the LNG in 40ft ISO-containers by train directly from Rotterdam.

AN is currently Project Leader and 5% Shareholder of Olbia LNG Terminal S.r.l., a company established in December 2019 for providing Natural Gas to Olbia and to the North East of Sardinia (Gallura – Costa Smeralda).

In summer 2020, AN launched the “Olbia EnerClima2050” integrated Project based on the biogenic Carbon Cycle for shaping the energy sector of the territory towards the carbon neutrality, as requested by the European Green Deal in 2050. The Project consists in the initial decarbonization stage based on fossil-LNG “transition fuel” for the replacement of coal and oil with clean-gas for Power and Mobility, and, subsequently, the progressive replacement of fossil-LNG with “renewable” bio-LNG sourced by an integrated virtuous circular CCU economy: whereby the CO2 released by the exhausts of the power plant gas turbines are cooled (to vaporize the bio-LNG) and recycled into an Algae plantation; relevant biomass residues are converted into biogas, upgraded into bio-methane, injected into the local gas-grid and liquefied at the Olbia LNG Terminal, where (bio)LNG is stored, regasified ad fed once again to the gas turbines … to repeat this virtuous Carbon Cycle indefinitely … achieving the target of generating useful energy from solar energy in balance with the environment. The LNG Terminal and relevant CCGT Power Plant also act as a peak-shaving/load-levelling and energy storage units to balance out the fluctuation of power supply/demand sourced by the other intermittent renewable energy sources (photovoltaic, wind and hydro).

Previously, AN held various positions in the Suez-Tractebel, Enimont and ENI groups, in Italy and abroad.

From 1984 to 1989, he was export manager of Foskor Ltd in South Africa, exploiting phosphate: the energy storage and booster (ATP/ADP) on all living bodies.

AN has also been a member of several LNG-related Institutions and Associations:

- ILNAS Delegate (Luxembourg Institute of Standardization) for CEN-TC 326 (European Technical Committee for: “Natural Gas Vehicles - Fuelling and Operations” for the implementing the European Standards for NG Vehicles refuelling stations and operation; he was coordinator of the 5^th working group related to use and operation of LNG vehicles).

- Member of the IGU WOC5.3 (International Gas Union, 5.3 Working Committee for Use of Gas in Natural Gas Vehicles).

- Coordinator of NGVA Europe for the “Working Group LNG and L-CNG Stations”.

- Consulting for the implementation of the GAINN_IT initiative (LNG infrastructure for transport in accordance with Italian Decree Dgls 257 and European DAFI Directive 2014/94/EU, co-financed under the European CEF 2014-2019 program).

- Currently consulting to Assocostieri.