Engie Invest in W African CNG Business

The west African state of Cote d'Ivoire has unveiled a fleet of buses commissioned by the Societe des Transports Abidjanais (Sotra), supplied by Iveco and fuelled by compressed natural gas (CNG), said French investor Engie December 17.

Engie and subsidiary Tractebel worked together to engineer, equip and install the country's first-ever CNG station and will facilitate the operation of the new range of buses. When fully commissioned, it will have a compression capacity of 1360 m³/h, and be split into two units, each equipped with two hoses, enabling four buses to charge at any one time, it said, without mentioning the source of the gas.

The Abidjan station is the first stage in the Ivorian government's and public transportation companies' plan to increase the number of CNG buses and ensure that the region is working towards fulfilling its commitment to the COP 21 agreement on climate change. More important, Engie said, it will lead the way for other African countries that are keen to embrace clean technologies further. Countries including Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cameroon are monitoring the success of the initiative with the intention of replicating the project.

As part of the deal between Iveco and Sotra, 50 Crealis buses will run on compressed natural gas in Abidjan. The particle emission levels will be nearly zero, and their nitrogen oxide emissions will be reduced by 60%. The buses will serve within Abidjan's wider urban area, Engie said.