The city of Varanasi is taking a significant stride toward a pollution-free environment, inaugurating its second floating Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Mobile Refueling Unit (MRU) station at Ravidas Ghat. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, presided over the inauguration today.
This newly inaugurated station, built to facilitate CNG filling in boats, marks the country’s second such facility after the Namo Ghat CNG station in Varanasi. Both stations are the brainchild of GAIL (India) Limited, a Maharatna PSU under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. Accompanying the Minister were GAIL Chairman & Managing Director Shri Sandeep Kumar Gupta, Director (Human Resources) Shri Ayush Gupta, Director (Marketing) Shri Sanjay Kumar, and several dignitaries.
The operational floating CNG stations for boats now span both sides of Varanasi’s main Ghats, developed by GAIL at an approximate cost of Rs 17.5 crore.
Amid global environmental concerns and the pressing need for transitioning to cleaner, sustainable energy sources, Minister Puri hailed the inauguration of this second floating infrastructure in Varanasi as a pivotal step toward adopting viable, sustainable energy solutions.
“The establishment of this floating CNG station underscores our belief in the transformative potential of clean energy,” expressed the Minister.
Regarding the significance of the CNG station at Ravidas Ghat, Shri Puri highlighted its convenience for boatmen, eliminating the need to travel to NaMo Ghat for refueling, thereby saving time and money. “On average, each boatman can potentially save over Rs. 36,000 annually by using CNG as fuel,” the Minister added.
For years, boatmen at Varanasi Ghats relied on old and less efficient petrol and diesel engines, now being replaced with new CNG engines and kits for improved fuel efficiency. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, GAIL partnered with Varanasi Nagar Nigam (VNN) to convert boats to the environment-friendly fuel CNG.
Under this CSR program, GAIL has successfully converted 735 boats out of 890 registered with VNN to CNG, amounting to a cost of Rs 18 crore.
The first of its kind globally, the floating CNG Mother station at Namo Ghat, operational since December 2021, has a compression capacity of approximately 15,000 kg/day of CNG, catering to about 1,000 – 1,500 boats daily. The boats currently in operation in Varanasi typically accommodate 15 to 80 persons with engine power ranging from 5 to 20 HP. GAIL received the prestigious ‘Midstream Project of the Year – India’ award at the Asian Oil and Gas Awards event for this pioneering project.
The new station at Ravidas Ghat, a CNG Mobile Refueling Unit (MRU), fills CNG in cascades from Namo Ghat and transports it via waterways to Ravidas Ghat for fueling boats—a first-of-its-kind initiative globally. With a capacity of 4,000 kg/day, it can serve 300 to 400 boats daily.
CNG, being a more efficient fuel compared to diesel, results in significant savings for boatmen, estimated at 35-40% due to the transition from old diesel engines to efficient CNG engines. Each kilogram of CNG equals 1.39 liters of petrol and 1.18 liters of diesel. This translates to substantial annual savings for each boatman.
Furthermore, CNG is safer, less polluting, and emits significantly fewer nitrous oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (Sox) compared to diesel. It generates less exhaust smoke, is almost odorless, offering health benefits and comfort to boatmen and tourists, and contributes to reducing pollution in the Ganga River and the atmosphere. The reduction in engine noise due to less vibration enhances stability and comfort for tourists during boat rides.
GAIL has invested over Rs 350 crore in creating City Gas Distribution (CGD) infrastructure in Varanasi, with an additional Rs 100 crore slated for investment by 2024. Part of the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project, the Varanasi CGD project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2018.
Apart from these two floating CNG stations, GAIL operates 24 CNG stations, with work in progress for another 13 stations to supply environment-friendly fuel to over 8,000 four-wheelers, 17,000 three-wheelers, and approximately 100 buses. Additionally, GAIL provides piped natural gas (PNG) to over 32,000 households, 61 commercial units including hotels and restaurants, and 13 industrial units, with plans for PNG connectivity to an additional 40,000 households.
Shri Puri also engaged with students at the Varanasi center of GAIL Utkarsh, a CSR initiative providing residential coaching to 60 meritorious girls from economically weaker sections for Engineering and Medical entrance examinations. Started in 2021-22, this center, inspired by PM Shri Narendra Modi’s vision for ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, is the first ‘all girls’ center of GAIL, offering coaching for both Engineering and Medical Entrance exams. In 2022-23, 28 out of 30 girls qualified the JEE Mains exam, while 29 out of 30 qualified the NEET exam.