The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has plans to convert 2,100 existing buses into Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) mode. As many as 515 buses will be converted in the first phase and the proposal is under the consideration of the state government, said R Prithviraj, works manager, KSRTC.
He was speaking at a workshop organised by the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) about the use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in automobile and domestic sector here on Thursday. He said the KSRTC has plans to use 1,70,000 kg of CNG daily. CNG is natural gas compressed to 50-90 atmospheres to enable easy storage. “Now the KSRTC has 6,086 buses. Discussions to convert a few buses to CNG mode started way back in 2009. In 2010 the corporation has prepared a project for the same. At present, we are using 4.24 kilo litres of diesel daily. When the conversion happens, the quantity could be reduced considerably,” he said.“We were asked to provide land at our regional workshop at Aluva to set up the CNG filling station but we could not provide it,” he revealed. He said that ample number of CNG filling stations will be a big concern for the state-run transportation company. Prasad K Panicker, executive director, BPCL-Kochi Refinery, said the ambitious expansion plans of the company are solely based on the LNG Terminal at Puthuvype.
“When the Integrated Refinery Expansion Project of BPCL gets over in January 2016, the company will be able to consume 20 per cent of the total capacity of the LNG Terminal, which is 5 million metric tonnes per annum (MMPTA) ,” he said.Another pipeline from LNG terminal to BPCL will be laid by GAIL, he said.
News: New Indian Express
