Colombia: NGV industry gains momentum in Valle del Cauca
NGV market in Valle del Cauca is one of the most dynamic in the country. In the last three years there have been 5,450 CNG conversions per year and an average consumption of 119 million m3 per year. Moreover, the first model of mass transit powered by CNG is operating in Palmira since 2015 and allowing today more than 5,000 passengers to travel daily, in addition to regional projects in business fleets, forklifts, buses and minibuses, among others, which use CNG to power their vehicles.
The Tupal case in Palmira represents a reduction and a quality leap in the field of noise and environmental contamination. The 37 buses that operate today, with efficient results that exceed expectations, showed that natural gas is an ideal fuel for mass transit systems, allowing everyday passers-by to enjoy quieter, cleaner urban spaces.
For Arturo Gutiérrez de Piñeres, General Manager of Gases de Occidente (GdO), “the lower cost of fuel, as well as the positive impact on the environment, the VAT exemption on investment and the guarantee on fuel supply are the perfect formula to guarantee a sustainable operation for a system like the one in Cali, as it happens in cities such as Palmira, Cartagena, Lima and Barcelona, where mass transit systems run in natural gas.”
This sector’s dynamism was pushed in 2015 and 2016 with resources for $ 41 billion to boost the use of CNG in an alliance with Ecopetrol. Of these resources, $ 20.5 billion went to the conversion of private and public vehicles, through an average discount bonus of $ 1,400,000 per vehicle, and $ 15 billion is available as an incentive to make feasible OEM vehicle projects with natural gas engines.
“By encouraging CNG use we are not only contributing to the competitiveness of the region; to the generation of employment, with more than 1,300 jobs in refueling stations and workshops; to the economy of the more than 43,000 users who have natural gas vehicles by February 2017, but also to generate a lower environmental impact in the region,” said Gutiérrez de Piñeres.
By 2017, GdO will implement different strategies through the “The CNG Side” campaign to benefit the more than 26,000 public service transporters operating in the Valle del Cauca, with training, in agreement with SENA (National Learning Service) and the Ministry of Mobility. The objective is to generate consumption of 115 million m3 and about 5,000 conversions this year.
https://www.ngvjournal.com/colombia-ngv-industry-gains-momentum-in-valle-del-cauca/