ADNOC To Set up 11 CNG Stations in Abu Dhabi Emirate

ADNOC To Set up 11 CNG Stations in Abu Dhabi Emirate

By end of 2008, Abu Dhabi Emirate to Have 8 Stations where public can convert their cars to CNG

Environment Agencey Abu Dhabi Emirate, Date:26/12/2007- The Technical Committee Responsible for Implementing Compressed Natural Gas as a Cleaner Alternative held its 14th meeting at the Emirates Standardization and Meteorological Authority Headquarters on December 25, 2007. Compressed Natural Gas, otherwise known as CNG is a safe, environmentally-friendly alternative to petrol.

This Technical Committee is chaired by Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) and consists of members from ADNOC Distribution, Emirates Standardization and Meteorological Authority, Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, Public Transportation Department, Federal Environment Agency and Mubadala.

During the meeting, Committee members discussed the progress achieved so far in terms of reaching Abu Dhabi Emirate’s goal of having 20% of the Abu Dhabi Government cars converted to run on CNG by January, 2012.

The Committee discussed the steps that each member organization would take in the next two years (2008-2012) in order to implement this strategy. As part of this effort, ADNOC Distribution will be implementing public awareness campaigns highlighting to the community the benefits of switching their cars to run on CNG.

During the meeting, ADNOC Distribution announced it will finish setting up 11 stations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to provide CNG to cars as well as 8 workshops in the Emirate where cars could be converted to run on CNG by end of 2008. In Sharjah, 5 such stations will be set up.

ADNOC Distribution also announced that, in coordination with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Marine Agency and Emirates Gas have supplied the Abra project currently being implemented in Dubai with CNG from Abu Dhabi’s Al Maha Station (located in Al Mina Area). Al Maha Station was the 1st station in Abu Dhabi to supply CNG.

EAD will be studying the possibility of reducing registration or renewal fees for permitted facilities with CNG cars to be implemented in early 2009. This would aim to be an economic incentive for more car owners to switch to CNG. Moreover, EAD announced it would be meeting with Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters to discuss the possibility of implementing the ‘Environmental Radar’ in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

During the meeting, the Public Transportation Department announced that it will meet with EAD and ADNOC Distribution to discuss the possibility of purchasing buses that would run on CNG. The General Transportation Administration will also meet with the waste collection companies commissioned by the General Authority for Health Services to look into the possibility of switching some of its vehicles to CNG. Mubadala, in coordination with the Taxi Transport Regulation Center, will set a mechanism to switch a percentage of its feel to run on CNG.

Meanwhile, the Federal Environment Authority (FEA) announced that it has contacted all relevant parties on the federal level to entice them to follow the lead of Abu Dhabi’s in this field. While some emirates expressed their encouragement of the idea, other emirates expressed hesitation due to lack of necessary infrastructure to carry out the project.

More About Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)• CNG has been used for many years to run vehicles in New Zealand, Italy, Argentina and the USA.• Converting your vehicle to run on CNG will involve the fitting of cylinder(s), normally in the boot of the car to store CNG, and associated equipment to allow the gas to flow into the engine.• When converting to CNG, you retain the existing petrol carburetor and fuel tank so that vehicle will still run on petrol. Normally just by turning a switch on the dashboard you can switch between fuel sources. Therefore, nothing will stop the vehicle traveling on petrol outside the area where CNG is not available. However, fuel savings will naturally be greater if the vehicle is run on CNG.• The annual saving in fuel cost through running on CNG will depend on the size and fuel consumption of your vehicle, and on the annual mileage you incur on CNG.• The life of an engine increases by using CNG. Lubricating oil life is extended considerably because CNG does not contaminate and dilute the crankcase oil. • CNG provides easy starting, reliable idling and smooth acceleration.

http://www.ead.ae/en/