KARACHI: Speakers at a conference revealed that by 2018-19 usage volume of CNG would be on a par with that of motor gasoline (petrol), however, they mentioned that diesel would sustain its dominating share in oil marketing.
The speakers were unanimous to establish strong networking with international CNG companies to channelise resources and expertise for the development and growth of CNG sector in the country and asked government to provide basic facilities to it.
They were addressing at “CNG Conex-2006 (International CNG Conference & Exhibition)”, jointly organised by National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH), in association with CNG Stations Owners Association of Pakistan (CSOAP) and HDIP at a local hotel on Tuesday.
City Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil said that 30 per cent of public transports were emitting hazardous pollutants that were resulting in diseases like cancer, asthma etc. “To prevent this deteriorated situation 15-year old public bus fleet would be replaced with CNG buses” she said, adding “250 to 300 CNG-fitted buses would be on roads by the end of this year.”
Nasreen said that federal government would provide funds of Rs5 billion to bring 8,000 CNG buses to the city and vowed to make double CNG stations in the city which were currently 123 in number.
Malik Khuda Bux, Chairman, CSOAP, said basic objective of this conference was to let international potential investor know that Pakistan was one of the fastest growing countries in usage of CNG. Pakistan had become CNG leader in Asia and third largest user of CNG in world after Argentina and Brazil, he added.
In technical session, Riaz Rashid, Sr Manager, Engineering Development Board (EDB), informed that currently four local companies were manufacturing CNG kits, one was producing dispensers, one was producing compressors and a company was manufacturing priority panels.
CNG-fitted vehicles are touching a figure of 5.5 million across the globe thus showing great opportunities to local companies. Masroor H. Khan from Shell Company apprised that in 2020 CNG share in gas sector would reach to about 6.3 per cent, which was about 1.2 per cent in 2004. He deplored over turnaround time from inception to commission of a CNG station, which took approximately 12 to 18 months and urged to reduce this time period to flourish CNG stations across the country.
It may be mentioned that presently more than 1.1 million vehicles are running on CNG while 1,056 CNG stations are working at the moment in Pakistan. More than 3,500 applications for seeking provisional licence from OGRA (Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority) are in pipeline for establishing CNG stations.
Shahab Raja, Advance Electronics, Amir Hassan, chief executive Tesla Pakistan and others also spoke.