The president of the Colombian Natural Gas Association, Orlando Cabrales Segovia, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding that seeks to promote the consumption of cleaner energy sources such as natural gas for mobility in the Aburrá Valley, in Colombia’s populous Andean Region. According to the president the primary objective is to promote a cleaner automotive fleet in this environmentally sensitive area.
The document was presented by Eugenio Prieto, director of the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, and Carlos Díaz Romero, vice president of Gas of EPM, who highlighted that mobility with gas is available and tested nationally and internationally, and that gas is one of the cheapest natural fuels with real benefits for air quality and the environment.
The three entities committed to exchange knowledge and experiences that contribute to improving sustainability; explore new areas of mobility (light vehicles, passenger transport and cargo vehicles) where natural gas can offer effective solutions, and join efforts to promote the development of natural gas vehicle technology suppliers, among others.
EPM has at its service 17 CNG filling stations, located at strategic points in Antioquia (the Department in which Medellin and the Aburrá Valley lies) for convenient refuelling and four allied workshops for the conversion of vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas.
The company has joined forces with other entities to operate 63 waste collection vehicles of Emvarias, a subsidiary of the EPM Group, and 484 public vehicles of the mass transport system. In addition, it is currently carrying out a pilot with two double-dump trucks with a dedicated 100% natural gas engine, with tests in the San Fernando wastewater treatment plant and in the Public Works Ministry of Medellín.
More than 22,000 taxis currently operate using CNG in Antioquia.
