Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot today inaugurated HCNG Plant and Dispensing Station at Rajghat Depot. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan along with senior officers from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Delhi Transport Department, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL).

The 4 Tonne/day Compact reformer- based HCNG production Plant has been set-up by IOCL in collaboration with Transport Department of Delhi. The Delhi Transport Department has provided a fund of Rs 15 crore for the setting up of the plant and conducting the study. Further, 50 Cluster buses have been earmarked by the Transport Department for holding demonstration trials starting today for a period of 6 months. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has also notified HCNG as a fuel starting September 2020.

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Hydrogen enriched- Compressed Natural Gas or HCNG is predicted to be the first step to a Hydrogen Economy and can be used in place of gasoline, diesel fuel/LPG and its combustion produces fewer undesirable gases in comparison to normal automobile fuel. It reduces the emission of CO by up to 70% and increases the fuel efficiency by up to 3% resulting in overall fuel savings of around 5%. Switch to HCNG fuel requires minimal modifications to the existing buses.

Kailash Gahlot said, “We are starting the 6 month trial of HCNG fuel in 50 BS-IV compliant buses of Rajghat depot starting today. Delhi, as the country’s capital, is taking a lead in promoting environment-conscious transport policies, like adopting cleaner fuels like HCNG, Electric Vehicles etc. The most important benefit of HCNG fuel is that it emits 70% less Carbon monoxide, will reduce total hydrocarbons emissions by around 15%, along with 3-4% increased fuel efficiency. Over the course of this 6-month trial, the tailpipe emissions of the buses will be continuously monitored and analyzed. I am assured that once the trial is successfully completed, the use of HCNG can be scaled up to other buses and private vehicles in Delhi.”