Union government has successfully inaugurated the second floating compressed natural gas (CNG) mobile refueling unit (MRU) station at Ravidas Ghat in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
The floating CNG MRU, being built by GAIL (India) Limited has compression capacity of 4,000 kg per day CNG catering around 300-400 boats per day.
The Namo Ghat floating CNG mother station with compression capacity of 15,000 kg per day CNG has been operational since December 2021 catering around 1,000-1,500 boats daily.
As part of its corporate social responsibility, GAIL has entered into an agreement with Varanasi Nagar Nigam (VNN) for conversion of boats to the environment-friendly fuel CNG. Currently, 735 boats out of the total 890 registered with VNN have been converted to CNG at an estimated cost of Rs 180 million.
Besides, GAIL has invested over Rs 3.5 billion for creating CGD infrastructure in Varanasi and is likely to incur another Rs 1 billion by 2024. Currently, GAIL operates around 24 CNG stations and work is in progress for another 13 CNG stations in the city. It also supplies piped natural gas to over 32,000 households, 61 commercial units like hotels and restaurants and 13 industrial units whereas PNG connectivity is likely to reach another 40,000 households soon.