Chevron supplies natural gas fuel under the TEXGAS brand
Chevron reports that cross-company collaboration is helping it bridge the gap between the nation’s natural gas fields and its driving public. “Colombia is an international model for the development of the natural gas vehicle (NGV) market,” said Damon Echevarria, Americas Products area manager for Colombia and Central America. “In the last six years, NGV consumption has grown more than 800 percent and now represents nearly 10 percent of Colombia’s national gas usage.”
Chevron recently launched a major initiative to integrate Chevron-produced natural gas into the Texaco brand and market it under the name TEXGAS in Colombia.
“Three TEXGAS natural gas fueling stations are now open,” Echevarria said. “A pilot station in Cartagena, a city of approximately one million on Colombia’s north coast, began operations in 2008. As part of the current initiative, two new stations have been added in Medellin, the country’s second-largest city with a population of about 2.4 million.”
Echevarria added that the current plan calls for an additional 12 TEXGAS stations in strategic cities throughout the country, including three in the capital city of Bogota. Chevron also will be offering TEXGAS to its current network of Texaco stations, some of which already provide an NGV alternative.
“This initiative brought together two organizations with a long record of success,” said Pedro Manrique, Colombia commercial and business development manager for Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Co., who led the TEXGAS project team. “The results are an integral and competitive offering that consolidates our presence in the fuel supply industry while promoting the development of the sector.”
Currently, Chevron produces 65 percent of Colombia’s natural gas as part of a more than 30-year partnership with Ecopetrol, the national oil company.
According to Manrique, natural gas from Chevron is also helping to ensure sustainability for Metroplus, Medellin’s public transportation system. Recently, 12 city buses were converted from diesel to natural gas produced by Chevron’s La Guajira gas operations, with supplies assured through a long-term contract.
Additionally, Chevron has submitted a proposal to place TEXGAS in all Metroplus vehicle facilities to meet the fueling and lubrication needs of 200 new natural-gas-powered buses that will replace the city’s older, less energy-efficient vehicles. A decision on the proposal is expected by the third quarter of 2011.
(This article compiled using information supplied by Chevron)
