Located at the exit to Valledupar, the new CNG fueling site, which is under Gazel brand, is expected to serve 1,000 users daily and demonstrates the commitment of Terpel to extend its presence throughout the country. Yesterday, during the opening ceremony, the mayor of Riohacha, Rafael Ceballos Sierra said: “We finally have a natural gas station for vehicles. Today is a day to celebrate, justice has been done. With natural gas for vehicles, the city wins, the department wins, transportation wins; we all win.”
Sylvia Escovar, president of Terpel, spoke about the project: “We decided to work with local authorities and other NGV business players in the region to build the first CNG fueling station in Riohacha considering that 70% of the natural gas in Colombia is produced in this department.”
To achieve this goal of opening the first CNG station, an agreement among all companies in the natural gas chain, such as Chevron, Ecopetrol, Promigas, Terpel and Gases de La Guajira, was necessary, and also the support of La Guajira Chamber of Commerce, in order to ensure a competitive fuel price in comparison with the gasoline that is sold in the border areas. The deal was endorsed in an agreement signed between the Mayor of Riohacha and the president of Terpel in the presence of the President of the Republic, Juan Manuel Santos, in Riohacha on October 31, 2013.
It is worth mentioning that due to efforts carried out by both the departmental and municipal governments, with the participation of companies from natural gas chain, it is expected that the conversion of 500 public transport vehicles will be supported, a process that has already begun with cars from taxi companies in the city.