Press Release from NGC CNG Company Ltd.
Pt. Lisas – NGC CNG and National Petroleum (NP) have been working jointly on this project since Quarter 3 2018. The design and approval of the station was completed in 2019 along with a tender process to award a contract. Construction started in January 2020, and despite an almost three-month delay during the Covid-19 restrictions, completion is expected at the end of October 2020. The project is within budget and progressing according to schedule.
The Preysal station will be one of the largest in the region with 20 filling lanes, 10 for CNG and 10 for liquid fuels. This station will also be powered partially by renewable energy, generated from solar panels installed on the canopy. This station will also have the facilities for electric vehicle charging. This station will serve the motoring public who travel along the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway in a North South direction as well as the communities of Couva, Balmain, Pt. Lisas, Preysal and environs with easy access in all directions.
There are currently 12 working CNG stations in the country, an additional four are under repair, and four more are in various stages of construction including Preysal. By the end of 2020, NGC CNG expects there will be 20 working CNG stations, just two shy of the mandated figure of 22.
CNG litre sales continue to grow at an aggressive rate, with a 106% increase in 2019 compared to 2018. NGC CNG expects a continues increase in sales in 2020, despite several weeks of inactivity from the Covid-19 lockdown between March and June. The demand for CNG conversions and OEM CNG vehicles has not receded and NGC CNG’s private sector partners have responded positively by increasing their output.
As the world adjusts to a new normal post Covid-19, CNG remains the cleanest burning fossil fuel, with 30% less Carbon emissions than liquid fuel. NGC CNG estimates more than 25 thousand metric tonnes of Carbon emission have been abated in Trinidad and Tobago with the use of CNG from 2014 to May 2020.
The NGC CNG Company has increased its efforts to respond to the demand for CNG nationally in light of some of the economic hardships faced by drivers who may be struggling to recover from the Covid-19 challenges.