Pakistan now has highest number of CNG-run vehicles
 

KARACHI: Pakistan has become the country with the highest number of CNG-run vehicles in the world leaving Brazil and Argentine behind in the race as largest user of natural gas vehicles.

According to statistics compiled by CNG Owners Association of Pakistan, the number of CNG-run cars have exceeded to 1.6 million throughout the country. The number of CNG filling stations has also grown largely in the country. The number of operational CNG pumps has increased to 17, 000, while around 200 CNG pumps are being established and 4,000 investors have shown interest to set up fuel stations of this gas.

Brazil, the second largest user of natural gas, has 1.42 million CNG-run vehicles. The third largest user, Argentine, has 1.35 million consumers. Private owners run around 70 percent of CNG filling stations while 30 percent are run by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

Malik Khuda Baksh, President CNG Owners Association said these figures will be informed to International CNG rating organisation (Natural Gas Vehicle International), which would rank Pakistan as number one country using CNG in vehicles after its own calculation. He said that country has shown an extra-ordinary growth of 5.5 million vehicles in the last seven months of the current year as the number of CNG-run vehicles stood at 10.5 million at the beginning of the year.

He claimed that gas fuel had saved about $2.2 million of country’s foreign exchange and this savings would be exceeded to $3 million at the end of current fiscal year. Gas fuel helps protect the environment from pollution as well.

“Now, there is a need to provide CNG to public buses or heavy vehicles and private sector is seeking government cooperation in this regard,” he added.

Mr Khuda Buksh said that the CNG station owners body has initiated to convert a diesel-run bus into CNG-run bus at the cost of almost 0.2 million. He urged government to form an exclusive loan facility to attract big investors in this sector and allow import of CNG-run vehicles and kits in the country, so that diesel consumption could decline and the country’s oil import bill could be minimised. Experts believed that gas reserves would not be sufficient to meet the country’s gas requirements. Pakistan’s gas demand and supply projections indicate a widening gap of approximately 500 MMCFD by the year 2010.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan