IndianOil & IGL lay foundation stone for India’s first H-CNG station at DTC depot in Delhi
New Delhi 04-Jul-2019
Mr. ES Ranganathan, Managing Director, IGL; Mr. Gajendra Singh, Chairman, IGL; Ms. Sunita Narain, Member, Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority; Dr. Bhure Lal, Chairman, Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority; Mr. Sanjiv Singh, Chairman, IndianOil; Dr. SSV Ramakumar, Director (R&D), IndianOil; and Mr. Manoj Kumar, Chairman, DTC, at the ground breaking ceremony of H-CNG station in Delhi.
Indian Oil Corporation (IndianOil) and Indraprastha Gas Ltd. (IGL) are setting a 4-tonnes-per-day compact reformer-based H-CNG station at Delhi Transport Corporation's (DTC) Depot-1 at Rajghat. Field trials will be conducted on 50 DTC buses using the patented technology developed by IndianOil's Research & Development Centre, to help reduce emissions and improve fuel economy of the buses.
Dignitaries unveiling the plaque at ground breaking ceremony of H-CNG station in Delhi.
The foundation stone for the H-CNG station was laid by Dr. Bhure Lal, Chairman, Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority, here today in the august presence of Mr. Sanjiv Singh, Chairman, IndianOil; Ms. Sunita Narain, Member, Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority; Dr. SSV Ramakumar, Director (R&D), IndianOil; Mr. Gajendra Singh, Chairman, IGL; Mr. ES Ranganathan, MD, IGL; and Mr. Manoj Kumar, Chairman, DTC.
As per the directive of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, IndianOil and IGL have collaborated to put up this first semi-commercial station as a pilot project for conducting a study on the use of H-CNG fuel in 50 BS-IV compliant CNG buses in Delhi. The station will be commissioned by November 2019 and the performance report will be submitted to the Hon'ble Supreme Court after a trial of six months thereafter. Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority has been authorised to monitor the trials by the Hon'ble Supreme Court.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Bhure Lal shared his concerns over the rapidly degrading air quality and said, "We have already come face-to-face with water crisis; let's resolve to improve the air we breathe so that the generations ahead can enjoy health and happiness."
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman, IndianOil, Mr. Sanjiv Singh, said, "It is for the first time that we are producing Hydrogen through this patented process. We are standing at the cusp of a breakthrough, with this Hydrogen-based technology offering a tailor-made solution to deal with air pollution in our cities. We intend to scale-up after initial trials and extend this technology to even older vehicles."
Ms. Sunita Narain, Member, Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority, complimented IndianOil on developing the unique technology in-house. Terming it a momentous occasion, she said, "We are witnessing the dawn of a Hydrogen-based economy. The initiative will go a long way in not only reducing air pollution but will also contribute towards achieving energy security."
In his welcome address, Dr. SSV Ramakumar, Director (R&D), IndianOil, thanked the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India for recognising the potential of IndianOil's patented compact reformer technology and allowing it to apply it on a larger scale in Delhi.
Hydrogen-spiked CNG (or H-CNG), when used in an engine in place of CNG, results in cleaner combustion, thereby reducing emissions and improving fuel economy. H-CNG, produced from natural gas through IndianOil's patented Compact Reformer technology, when tested at the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), resulted in 70% reduction of carbon monoxide and 25% reduction in hydrocarbon emissions as compared to baseline CNG. It is estimated that the compact reforming process will be 30% more cost-effective compared to physical blending of Hydrogen in CNG for deriving the same benefits.
