CNG conversion: Learning from New Delhi

CNG conversion: Learning from New Delhi

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Compared to Jakarta, the Indian capital, New Delhi has succeeded
in encouraging public transportation vehicle operators to use
compressed natural gas (CNG) to reduce pollution and relieve
dependence on more expensive gasoline and diesel fuels.

All public transportation vehicles -- buses, taxis and three-
wheeled motorized taxis (know here as bajaj) -- in New Delhi
started using CNG or other clean fuels in 2001, thanks to
consistent law enforcement.

The drive began in mid-1998, when the Indian Supreme Court
issued a directive obliging the state-owned Gas Authority of
India Limited (GAIL) to increase the number of CNG stations from
nine at the time to 80 as of March 2000.

The directive also stipulated a time line for all programs
that had to be carried out by both the country's central and
state governments.

According to N.K. Verma, managing director of Indraprastha Gas
Limited (IGL), the key to the success of the CNG program for
transportation in New Delhi was that there was a legal obligation
requiring vehicles to use CNG.

The legal obligation also required all city buses running in
the capital to be converted to CNG after there were an adequate
number of CNG stations. Bus operators had four years to prepare
for the conversion of their fleets.

Other directives were that no buses over eight-years-old were
allowed on New Delhi's streets unless they were using CNG or
other clean fuels and all pre-1990 taxis had to be replaced by
new vehicles on clean fuel. Financial incentives were also given
for the replacement of post-1990 vehicles and taxis.

New Delhi also had a similar problem to Jakarta in the
development of CNG as the city had a limited number of natural
gas pipelines.

To overcome the problem, they devised the "mother-daughter"
system with four types of filling stations.

At the "daughter stations", referring to stations where gas
pipelines were not available, CNG is delivered via "cascades"
(bundles of cylinders) attached to trucks. The cascades are
filled up at the CNG stations, which are installed on gas
pipeline.

Then there are the "daughter booster stations". These are also
stations that do not have access to pipelines. The only
difference is that a variable suction pressure compressor
(booster) is installed in-between the mobile cascade and the
dispenser.

The third ones are the online stations. Online stations are
connected to the pipelines for continuous CNG supply.

And finally, there are the mother stations. These stations are
similar to the online stations in configuration. The difference
is these also supply the mobile cascade trucks.

With the efficient system, New Delhi has been able to expand
the number of natural gas stations and at the same time the
number of CNG-powered vehicles continuously increases.

Recent data shows that there are over 150 CNG stations now in
operation, while, the number of CNG-powered vehicles is at
approximately 50,000.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, the number of both CNG stations and
CNG-powered vehicles continues to decrease. In Greater Jakarta,
there are only seven CNG stations still operational, compared to
17 a few years ago. The number of CNG-powered vehicles dropped
from 6,600 in 2000 to just 500 last year.