[SIZE=2]The Daily Tribune
Thursday, August 16, 2007
20,000 vehicles seen shifting to LPG fuel
By Riza Recio
Local liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distributors forecast the conversion of 20,000 units of vehicles by the end of the year to run on LPG as fuel.
An alliance of independent oil firms with the local unit of the world’s largest marketer of LPG, Liquigaz Philippines Corp., was recently launch in anticipation of the surge in the number of vehicles running on LPG as a result of historically-high gasoline prices.
Aside from Liquigaz, the group is composed of Naiadss Corp., Sea Oil Philippines Inc., Eastern Petroleum Corp., AutoLPG Co. and minor independent players Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc., Fura Lo Gas Inc.
The alliance will form the biggest network of auto LPG networks in the Philippines.
"With this alliance, both the industry and the environment stand to gain. We are creating a network of strategically-located stations that offer ample options to fill tanks in Metro Manila while at the same further promoting the use of clean fuel," Liquigaz president Patrick Libihoul said.
Liquigaz is a wholly owned subsidairy of SHV Group Holland, the world’s largest LPG supply and distribution company with a presence in 23 countries.
It is projected that 20,000 additional vehicles would convert into LPG use this year aside from an existing 18,000 to 20,000 units already running on LPG fuel.
The savings on fuel cost will amount to P1.4 billion monthly, Mario Tan, president and CEO of AutoLPG Co., operator of four LPG refilling stations and supplier of conversion kits, said.
Among the programs for immediate implementation of the LPG alliance include partnership with private company fleets to convert into auto LPG, expansion of refilling stations, propogation of the conversion kits originating from partner companies in Turkey, China, Korea and Italy, and introduction of China auto LPG buses in Metro Manila.
Liquigaz, with investments of P100 million for the auto LPG alone, and currently supplying 65 percent of the total demand in auto LPG has operation of its own largest pressurized LPG import terminal in the Philippines and in Asia located in Bataan, having a storage capacity of 12,000 metric tons.
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