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CNG to make cheaper transport a reality

ABU DHABI — The initiative of Abu Dhabi Executive Council to convert over 25 per cent of the government vehicles and some taxis in the emirate to be running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) by next year will bring down fuel cost of these vehicles by almost 50 per cent.

This initiative is headed by the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD) with other stakeholders.

According to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which is installing the CNG, also called Clean Natural Gas, and Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) filling stations across the emirate and part of Northern Emirates, over 500 vehicles including taxis will be converted to run on clean fuel. When the project is completed, it will cost motorists Dh1.28 per kilogramme of CNG, almost 50 per cent cheaper than what they pay for a gallon of petrol now. The stations are being installed by ADNOC’s subsidiary, ADNOC Distribution. The technical committee of the project is also establishing workshops where vehicles are converted to run on alternate fuel.

The whole project of setting up workshops converting vehicles and installing the new filling stations is being carried out by ADNOC with the support of other partners —the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology, the Civil Defence, the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, the Federal Environment Agency, the Mubadala and the Department of Transport.

If all taxis and public buses are converted to these economical fuels, they are bound to bring down the taxi and bus fares in the emirates.

“It will be far cheaper for what we are paying to fuel our vehicles. A kilogramme of CNG would be almost equal to a gallon petrol for which we pay more. Dh1.28 is a good and reasonable price,” said Philip George, an Indian expatriate. The strategy for cleaner fuel and to help improve the country’s carbon footprint was proposed and launched in early 2000 with an initial plan to convert all government vehicles and public transports to run on CNG by 2012.

According to ADNOC, 19 CNG stations are now operational in the first phase in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Sharjah with a number of vehicles being converted. In the second phase, 11 more stations will be completed in the three cities by 2012.

Abu Dhabi Company for Offshore Oil Operations (ADCO) is currently converting 25 of their vehicles and 79 taxis in addition to the 117 vehicles already undergone conversion. By 2012, the number of converted vehicles, including taxis will be 500. The taxis that are being converted are from the Al Ghazal, Cars and Emirates companies of Abu Dhabi. The project also involves a huge network of pipelines being laid to supply the gas to filling stations. A portion of the pipeline network has already been completed and the rest is being executed to meet the deadline. The pipeline project also involves Dolphin Energy, a subsidiary of Mubadala, the Development Company of Abu Dhabi.

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