8 conversion workshops operational by end of 2008
UAE, Abu Dhabi
Natural gas’s popularity as an alternative fuel in the Middle East continues to rise with the Technical Committee Responsible for Implementing Compressed Natural Gas as a Cleaner Alternative holding its 14th meeting on December 25, 2007. 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.
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 (Govt owned investment agency).
The Committee discussed the steps that each member organization would
take in the next two years (2008-2012) in order to implement the
alternative fuel 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 an Abra (Water taxi) 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. EAD also 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.
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