I am not quite sure that the yellow pipes in today’s photo are indeed gas pipes, but I have a feeling that they might be. The background to my assumption is that Gas Natural was introduced on the island a few months ago, and in particular in Palma de Mallorca. The gas arrives in Mallorca from Valencia on the mainland, by a pipeline that is laid under the seabed and connects via the neighboring island of Ibiza (see map below).

Gesa-Endesa, our friendly electricity supplier, is the company that manages the distribution of natural gas in Mallorca, in an operation that starts from Sant Joan de Déu (near the airport) and then connects in a first phase through a pipeline to the power plant, Ca’s Tresor. Eventually, the pipeline will be extended to the incineration facility in Son Reus. From there, the natural gas will later be distributed across the island, or so one reads in the local printed media.

Apart from private households, Gesa-Endesa tells us that in the future, busses, taxi cabs and delivery vehicles could be using natural gas, too, as an alternative to petrol or diesel, resulting in a reduction in CO² emissions, in contamination and in noise levels. Already, the Palma bus company, EMT, has taken 12 busses in service operating on natural gas. That’s a good start, one should think, particularly in view of the disappointing results of this week’s Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 4th, 2009. The time was 15:41:57. The map was borrowed fro the Internet, courtesy of energiadiario.com.

Muchas gracias.