After diesel, CNG refuelling through mobile units

After mobile diesel dispensers, CNG too is now available through mobile units in India.

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday inaugurated India's first CNG Mobile Refuelling Units (MRUs).

The first of its kind MRU has been deployed by Indraprastha Gas Ltd - the firm that retails CNG to automobiles in the national capital and adjoining towns, in South Delhi, a company statement said.

Another MRU has been put up by Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) - the retailer in Mumbai - at Raigad.

MRUs hold the promise of delivering environment-friendly Compressed Natural Gas at the doorstep of the customers.

It can store up to 1,500 kg CNG and can fill 150 to 200 vehicles per day.

MRUs are particularly useful in areas where there are no CNG stations.

Prior to this, fuel retailers such as the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) had launched mobile dispensers for doorstep delivery of diesel.

Besides inaugurating the MRUs, Pradhan also dedicated to the nation 201 CNG stations across the country as well as started piped natural gas supply in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.

Of the CNG stations inaugurated, 54 have been set up by Indraprastha Gas – 21 in Delhi, 16 in Haryana, 15 in Uttar Pradesh and 2 in Rajasthan.

According to a statement issued by his ministry, Pradhan on the occasion said that till now, CNG stations and piped natural gas (PNG) were metro city phenomenon and now they have started reaching smaller towns and cities.

This push to take the cleaner fuel to every town and city in the country is part of the government's target to raise the share of natural gas in its energy basket to 15 per cent by 2030 from the current 6.2 per cent.

Pradhan said his ministry is also pushing for greater adoption and utilisation of cleaner and greener fuel including hydrogen, biogas, ethanol-blended petrol (EBP) and LNG.

IOC, he said, is soon going to launch a hydrogen dispensing station at its refinery in Vadodara, Gujarat.

Pradhan said the city gas distribution (CGD) sector has emerged as a major sector for natural gas consumption.

The demand is only going to increase as more areas become operational.

Stating that there is a need for conversion of diesel/petrol vehicles to CNG/LNG for ensuring lesser emissions and a cleaner environment, he exhorted the CGD entities to keep working hard to reach 10,000 CNG stations and 5 crore PNG connections in the coming 7-8 years.

In that direction, MRU will help achieve supply of CNG in areas not yet connected through pipelines or at places where there is a scarcity of land parcels to set up conventional CNG stations.

Pradhan stressed the need to expedite the commissioning of more MRUs in the country to increase the mobility of fuel availability through their deployment at various.

IGL said 21 of the newly commissioned CNG stations are located in Delhi, 6 in Ghaziabad, 6 in Gurugram, 4 in Karnal, 3 in Kaithal, 3 in Rewari, 4 in Kanpur, 2 in Meerut, 2 in Gautam Buddha Nagar, 1 in Hapur and 2 in Ajmer.

Amit Garg, Director (Commercial), IGL said the MRU developed by the company is fitted with 55 lightweight Type IV cylinders, which can store up to 1,500 kg CNG and fill 150 to 200 vehicles in a day.

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