Emirates Gas hosts ANGVA Green Highways 2011 roadshow

Emirates Gas (EMGAS), a subsidiary of the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), hosted a welcome ceremony for the Asia Pacific Natural Gas Vehicle Association (ANGVA) Green Highways 2011, a multi-country roadshow aimed at promoting the use of natural gas vehicles as a green fuel alternative and the natural gas vehicle (NGV) infrastructure.

The ANGVA Green Highways 2011, which features natural gas driven vehicles on a road trip, is undertaken across three routes – Western, Southern and Eastern – all of them to conclude in Beijing, China for ANGVA biennial conference and exhibition to be held from October 18 to 20, 2011.

The Western Route covers the UAE, Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China, and had flagged off on July 24 in Tehran, Iran. Following the welcome reception in Dubai, hosted by EMGAS, ANGVA Green Highways 2011 will proceed to Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation received the ANGVA Green Highways 2011 Torch and Scroll at the function held in Dubai.

A focused outreach programme, ANGVA Green Highways is organised every two years since 2007 and has been extremely successful in helping countries in the Asia Pacific region to launch their compressed natural gas and natural gas vehicle programmes. Described as a ‘journey of a thousand miles of friendship, enthusiasm and cooperation,’ the roadshow also aims at creating co-operation and exchange of information in the sector.

Zaid Al Qufaidi, Managing Director - ENOC Gas Marketing said: “We are privileged to host the ANGVA Green Highways 2011 roadshow in Dubai. The goals of ANGVA are a perfect fit to our mission of promoting the use of compressed natural gas, which enhances economic efficiency and contributes to sustaining our environment. EMGAS has undertaken several concerted initiatives to promote a culture of ‘green energy,’ and introduced a range of products that help reduce energy consumption and carbon emission.”

Hesham Ali Mustafa Senior Director – ENOC Gas Marketing & General Manager – Emirates Gas LLC said: “As part of our commitment to going green, EMGAS has invested considerably in the ABRA project to convert the boats plying in Dubai Creek from running on diesel engines to CNG driven engines. The project has been successful and is being scaled up for appropriate technology development and commercial implementation by RTA.

“EMGAS is also providing CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) to Dubai Municipality for fuelling Dubai Municipality vehicles, recently converted to run on CNG as part of this go green initiative.  We are confident that the ANGVA Green Highways will further encourage users in the UAE to adapt natural gas vehicles.” Hisham added.

As part of the EMGAS/ANGVA 2011 Green Highways event, five CNG vehicles were displayed at the entrance of the venue. One of these vehicles, a Volkswagen Passat Variant CNG version that is factory-fitted to operate on CNG, was specially imported from Germany for the event. The sponsors of the event, Volkswagen, Emirates Transport and CG Tech shared their experience on converting their vehicles to compressed natural gas.

EMGAS has been working closely with RTA to introduce CNG in public transport to enhance environment protection. A unique model of pipe-less natural gas fuel stations will be introduced in Dubai as part of plans to implement a cost-effective and environment-friendly natural gas transportation stations.

Government vehicles will first switch to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) followed by private cars in the emirate to reduce carbon emissions and cut fuel costs. Dubai Municipality is one of the first Dubai Government organisations to begin the conversion of their fleet of vehicles to CNG.

For over 35 years, EMGAS has been the leading supplier of LP Gas products and services. Its hospitality customer portfolio includes hotels, residential apartments and shopping malls in Dubai and UAE. Certified to the highest global standards, EMGAS operations include the supply of liquefied petroleum gas, which can deliver output far greater than electricity.

EMGAS recently introduced “Pro-Power”, a customized gas cylinder, for forklifts, further promoting clean transportation. Another key product is Cutting Edge Gas (CEG), which was introduced following research that industries such as metal cutting and ship building had strong requirements for safe and economical cutting fuel.