Country's Second Floating CNG Station to be Built in Varanasi | 27 Nov 2023

Why In News?

On November 26, 2023, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri remotely launched the Floating Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Mobile Re-Fueling Unit (MRU) station at Ravidas Ghat on the banks of Ganga.

Key Points:

• This is the world's first mobile station. Now sailors will be able to fill CNG at Namo Ghat as well as Ravidas Ghat. Till now the facility was available only at Namo Ghat located north of Varanasi. Now the facility has also been made at Ravidas Ghat located in the south.
• The Union Minister said that fuel efficiency has improved by converting old and less efficient petrol-diesel engines of boats into CNG engines. So far, 735 boats out of 890 registered have been converted to CNG by GAIL. This has cost Rs 18 crore. GAIL Chairman and Managing Director Sandeep Kumar Gupta was also present on this occasion.
• The new CNG station of Ravidas Ghat will be brought to Namo Ghat and CNG will be filled in the cascade. Then it will be taken to Ravidas Ghat. Its capacity is four thousand kg per day. Here 300 to 400 boats can be filled with CNG every day.
• According to GAIL officials, each seafarer can save approximately Rs 36 thousand every month by using CNG as fuel.
• According to Varanasi Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma, this CNG station will be built with special technology due to which its life will be around 100 years.