The Commonwealth of Pamplona (MCP) announced that the Regional Urban Transport (TUC) incorporated six new hybrid buses or “villavesas” with CNG-electric engine, which will use gas with a Guarantee of Renewable Origin (GdO). These buses will use the natural gas refueling facility for the bus fleet set up a year ago in the TUC depot.
The six buses are MAN Lion’s City 19G Efficient Hybrid model, with 18 meters long and capacity for 180 passengers (35 seated). It should be remembered that in July 2022 the first 13 CNG-powered vehicles were already incorporated after the MCP approved in 2021 the II TUC Cleaner Energy Plan for the progressive substitution of polluting buses. In this way, the MCP no longer adds diesel buses and continues with the progressive abandonment of this fuel in the TUC fleet.
The replacement of diesel and the incorporation of new vehicles moved with Gas of Renewable Origin fulfills a double purpose: on the one hand, the new buses are “clean vehicles” without affecting the quality of urban air, anticipating the delimitation of the Zone of Low Emissions of Pamplona and, on the other hand, they are “carbon neutral” since when using gas with a guarantee of renewable origin, a fuel equivalent to an equal volume of biomethane injected into the network is consumed.
With this important step, Pamplona is heading towards its general objective of being ‘Carbon Neutral by 2030’, becoming the first local entity in the State to use gas of renewable origin as bus fuel.
In addition, over the next few years, Pamplona will generate its own biomethane, both from the sludge from the Arazuri WWTP and from the treatment of organic matter from urban waste at the new Imárcoain Environmental Center. This project is part of circular economy policies at a local scale, so that this biomethane originating from waste from the Region of Pamplona serves as fuel for the fleets of heavy vehicles of the Commonwealth: TUC buses, waste collection trucks and Integral Water Cycle’s maintenance vehicles.
Once this project is completed, all the organic waste will serve as an energy base to move the fleets of buses and waste trucks, before proceeding to its composting for agricultural purposes.
It should be noted that with the incorporation of the new vehicles, the TUC has 66 diesel-electric hybrid vehicles, six electric and 19 powered by gas of renewable origin, which means that 57% of the fleet is made up of environmentally efficient vehicles.
Source: Commonwealth of Pamplona (MCP)
