Qatar Petroleum has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) with the Emirate of Sharjah’s public transport system, Mowasalat, to develop a study for assessing the feasibility of using compressed natural gas (CNG) for the public transport fleet in Qatar, reports Raya. The agreement’s scope includes the necessary fuelling infrastructure to operate a CNG fleet, with capacity to service public vehicles at a later stage. Initially the study will focus on the creation of a pilot program to launch an unspecified number of CNG-powered buses.
HE the Minister of Energy & Industry, Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada said, “Qatar is blessed with abundant resources of natural gas and this agreement is consistent with our strategy to make such resource available to satisfy our growing domestic energy needs. Today we are pleased to work with Mowasalat on evaluating the potential of expanding the use of natural gas to fuel the requirement of our public transportation sector where the fuels qualities and environmental advantages make it a sustainable and effective alternative to refined petroleum products”. The Minister is also Chair and MD of Qatar Petroleum.
Qatar Petroleum says the world is witnessing major growth in the use of CNG as a public transport fuel, especially for buses and taxis, with an increasing interest from governments, local authorities and public transportation companies in the search for more environmentally friendly fuel as a substitute for diesel and gasoline, to improve air quality.
Mr. Jassim Saif Al Sulaiti, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mowasalat said, “We are pleased to co-operate with Qatar Petroleum in developing CNG in the public transportation sector. Our expertise with operating the fleet of buses will hopefully provide a sound basis for a successful CNG pilot scheme that will be expanded to other sectors and applications in Qatar’s transport sector.”
