Indian Oil Corporation expects to open five more compressed natural gas (CNG) outlets in Ernakulam distri ct by the end of the current fiscal.
The oil company is now awaiting a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the district administration to open the proposed outlets, said P.S. Mony, Kerala head, Indian Oil Corporation, at a press conference here on Monday.
He added that as many e 20 CNG dispensing outlets were being planned in the district, and that they would be established at the existing petrol pumps once the district administration issues NOC. The new outlets are being opened keeping in view the rapid growth of consumption in the district after four CNG outlets were established nearly a year ago. The monthly CNG consumption growth at the existing pumps is 23% to 24% per month. The use of CNG by autorickshaws and taxi cars has grown from five tonnes in April to 150 tonnes a month in November.
Cost-effctive
Autorickshaws and taxi cars are switching to CNG considering its cost advantage. While a litre of diesel costs ₹66 now, the cost of CNG is ₹53. The Kundannoor CNG dispensing unit sells around 56 tonnes of fuel every month, while the one at Kalamassery sells 46 tonnes a month.
There is another outlet in Aluva, while the outlet on Container Road has been closed for maintenance after the floods.
Meanwhile, the city gas distribution network project in Ernakulam is progressing except in city corporation areas.
Mr. Mony had in early November said that IndianOil-Adani Gas, implementing the project, had completed around 30,000 piped gas connections in households out of the targeted 40,700.
City gas project
Work on the city gas distribution project in four geographical areas in north Kerala—Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragod, and the Union Territory of Mahe—has been inaugurated, and the project is expected to be completed in eight years.