EUROPE: Shunting locomotives in Estonia and Poland have been converted to diesel and gas dual-fuel operation using the NYSMART technology developed by Latvian company DiGas.
A TEM2 shunting locomotive belonging to Estonian state-owned oil shale company Enefit Kaevandused has been converted to diesel and LNG operation at Go Rail’s Iru depot, with NYSMART automatically maximising the use of cheaper and cleaner burning gas instead of diesel. This is expected to cut fuel costs by up to 30%, CO2 by 20% and SOx by 70%.
DiGas has also worked with Polish repair and leasing company Orion Kolej to convert a SM42 shunting loco to dual-fuel operation, using LNG supplied by Novatek Green Energy.
The projects follow on from the prototype conversion of a Latvian railways ČME3 diesel shunting locomotive to dual-fuel operation in 2018, and the unveiling this year of a General Electric C36 main line locomotive belonging to Estonian freight operator Operail which has been converted to dual-fuel operation.
NYSMART has been developed under the ‘novel dual-fuel system for modernisation of air-polluting diesel locomotives to clean and efficient gas operation’ project, which was backed by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research programme.
