Delhi vehicles to run on green diesel

Capital first in country to use ULSD, which is seven times cleaner than
normal diesel

Fresh out of last week's killer smog and the environmental concerns it
raised, there is some respite in sight for the city.

From April 1.2010, Delhi will become the first city in the country to switch
completely to ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD) in which the sulphur content
is one-seventh of what it is in diesel at present. This will be concurrent
with the introduction of Euro IV compliant vehicles in the city from the
same data Delhi has 50,000-odd diesel cars plying at any given point which,
according to environment experts, is an equivalent of 5,000 buses plying on
diesel Green lobbies have been raising a stink on how the burgeoning number
of cars and proliferation of diesel variants of high-end models in
particular is offsetting the gains of CNG-run public transport.

Diesel that is available now has a sulphur content of 350 parts per million
(ppm). And the ULSD Delhi will get will have just 50ppm sulphur, which
though seven times cleaner is still far below the international clean diesel
standard of 15ppm that has been in use since 2006.

The decision to introduce ULSD also means that owners of diesel vehicles
will need to brace for a rise in fuel prices, the quantum of which the
government is not sure about. "It depends on a number of issues including
the price of crude at that point It may be a little premature to make any
conjectures on that," said a senior Delhi government official.

The matter has been in the works for a while now. Environment secretary
Dharmendra said: "We have been pursuing it with the petroleum ministry
because we are concerned about the rise in the number of vehicles. Only
recently, the petroleum ministry assured us that the supply will start from
April next year and from the same date we are enforcing Euro IV standards in
the city'.

Times of India, New Delhi, 14 November 2009