The station is equipped with a compressor withcapacity of 1,075 cubic metres per hour, two double pumps, each withthroughput capacity of 1,300 cubic metres per hour. In addition, thereare two gas tanks, one internal and one external, each with storagecapacity of 1,000 cubic metres. The infrastructure of the CNG stationcomprises a system provided by GALILEO and a pressure reduction andmeasurement station with capacity of 1,200 cu. m.

 

The CNG refuelling station will serve buses,delivery trucks and passenger cars fitted out with a CNG installation.In Lublin, the vehicle fleet is expected to grow from 3 buses at themoment up to even 100 buses operated by the Municipal Transport Company(MPK).

Currently, nearly 1,200 vehicles fuelled with compressednatural gas are in operation in Poland. This number includes 170 buses,over 800 passenger cars, 130 vans, technical vehicles and forklifttrucks. There are 23 public and around 25 in-house CNG refuellingstations in operation throughout the country.

The key incentivefor choosing compressed natural gas is its price, which at the area ofKSG operations is 1.74/m3, i.e. is more 2.5 times lower comparing tothe prices of conventional fuels, which generates substantial savingsfor the user. The cost of vehicle “conversion” to CNG, i.e. fitting aspecial installation is systematically decreasing because of theincreasing popularity and growing number of service stations that offersuch installations.

Karpacka Spó?ka Gazownictwa (KSG) takes focus on growth
Withinthe operations area of Karpacka Spó?ka Gazownictwa Sp. z o.o.,refuelling stations are located in Mielec, Krakow, Tarnow, Debica,Rzeszow and Zamosc. Additional stations in Sandomierz and Kielce areunder construction and there are plans to build CNG stations inZakopane and Nowy Sacz.

In the KSG territory, the market forcompressed natural gas is growing dynamically through the developmentof public CNG refuelling stations located along the main transportroutes of KSG. In parallel, local demand for compressed natural gas isincreasing among companies operating their own vehicle fleets, as wellas among individual users. Gas refuelling stations located in the areaof KSG serve over 400 passenger cars and over 100 buses.

KSG plans to gradually increase the sales volumeof compressed natural gas. In 2006, the CNG sales volume reached 1,560million cu. m, as compared to mere 0.662 million cu. m in 2005. It isworth noting that KSG implemented a uniform, digital customer servicesystem at all CNG stations owned by the company.

 

The development of transport and the resultingfast growth in the number of vehicles in the streets of our cities hasa major impact on pollution of the environment. At the same time, thesoaring prices of conventional fuels drive up the costs of transport.Therefore, potential application of alternative fuels is becomingincreasingly important.

The majority of diesel engines beingcurrently in use, which are fuelled with compressed natural gas (CNG),meet the Euro 4 standard, which has been in force since the year 2005,as well as the stricter emission limits under the Euro 5 standard,which is to come in force as of the year 2008. Compressed natural gasused as a motor fuel is characterised by very low emission of harmfulcombustion products comparing to the conventional fuels. Moreover,engines of CNG-fuelled vehicles are much more silent than engines firedwith diesel oil, which is particularly important in large cities. Itshould be added that hermetic tank filling systems practicallyeliminate any leakage of vapours to the atmosphere during therefuelling. The above-mentioned environmental benefits, as well aspurely economic factors encourage an increasing number oftransportation companies to use compressed natural gas.