Drive against leaded gasoline uncertain<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Despite the government's promise to free Jakarta
\nfrom leaded gasoline starting Sunday, Jakartans will still inhale
\nthe poisonous substance from vehicle exhausts as the drive to
\nfree the city from leaded fuel will not materialize until the end
\nof July.<\/p>\n
A spokesman of state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, M.
\nAlwi Adil, said on Thursday that the failure to meet the target
\nwas caused by technical difficulties in cleaning the residue of
\nleaded gasoline from refinery plants and gas stations.<\/p>\n
Pertamina, Alwi said, had actually stopped injecting lead into
\nits refinery plant in Balongan, West Java, which supplies Jakarta
\nwith fuel, since June 15. The refinery, he said, started piping
\nunleaded fuel to Jakarta on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"However, it would still be mixed with leaded fuel because gas
\nstations still have the remaining leaded gasoline,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post over the phone.<\/p>\n
\"But hopefully, in the first week of July, all gasoline
\nsupplied by gas stations in the capital really will be free from
\nlead,\" Alwi added.<\/p>\n
However, an official at Pertamina's directorate of downstream
\nindustries, Nurfai, said earlier that it would take from six
\nmonths up to one year to really clean up the repository at the
\nBalongan refinery plant.<\/p>\n
\"The Balongan refinery still contains lead. Based on
\nexperience in the United States, it can take up to four years to
\nreally rid refinery plants of lead,\" he told reporters on the
\nsidelines of a discussion on unleaded gasoline.<\/p>\n
Fuel from Balongan refinery plant, however, is enough to
\nsupply about 180 gas stations out of a total of 382 gas stations
\nin the city. The remaining supplies for Jakarta gas stations come
\nfrom Pertamina's refinery in Cilacap, Central Java.<\/p>\n
The total fuel consumption of all gas stations in the capital
\nreaches some 17,000 kiloliter of premix per month and some
\n240,000 kiloliters of premium per month.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, all gas stations will soon receive supplies of
\nunleaded fuel. If something happens with the refinery in
\nBalongan, there is a backup supply from Cilacap, Central Java,\"
\nNurfai said.<\/p>\n
He explained that Pertamina would also clean up Cilacap plant
\nfrom lead.<\/p>\n
Lead is added to fuel because it is a cheap way to boost
\nengine performance. However, it causes environmental and health
\nproblems and leads to impaired intelligence among children.<\/p>\n
The substitute is a chemical substance called High Octane
\nMogas Component (HOMC), which is more expensive though more
\nenvironmentally-friendly.<\/p>\n
Although Jakarta will not be totally free from leaded
\ngasoline, the government is to proceed with the launching of
\nunleaded gasoline in the capital on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The inauguration is to be held at City Hall and will be
\nfollowed with the filling of certain gas stations with unleaded
\ngasoline, according to Ahmad Safrudin, chief executive of the
\nCommittee for Leaded Fuel Eradication.<\/p>\n
But many people, including attendants at several gas stations
\nsaid they were not aware of the government's plan to free Jakarta
\nfrom leaded gasoline.<\/p>\n
\"I think I've heard about it but I'm not sure what it is
\nexactly,\" said Samari, an operator at Kemandoran gas station in
\nWest Jakarta<\/p>\n
Samari said that the owner of the gas station was invited by
\nPertamina earlier on Tuesday for a briefing on the use of leaded
\ngasoline.<\/p>\n
\"I read the invitation and was wondering what unleaded
\ngasoline was,\" he asserted.<\/p>\n
Attendants at Petamburan and Pejompongan gas stations also
\nmade similar comments.<\/p>\n
\"We're only operators of the gas station. I think unleaded gas
\nis the boss' responsibility,\" Jaka, an attendant at Petamburan
\ngas station, said.<\/p>\n
A minivan driver even said that he was surprised and that he
\nhad never heard about unleaded gasoline.<\/p>\n
\"Is the price higher than the usual gasoline? If so, we should
\nprotest again,\" said the driver.<\/p>\n
The government has decided to subsidize unleaded gasoline so
\nthat its price will remain the same at Rp 1,450 (13 U.S. cents)
\nper liter for unleaded premium and Rp 1,900 per liter for
\nunleaded premix.<\/p>\n
Following the initiative in Jakarta, the government has
\ncommited itself to freeing the whole country from leaded gasoline
\nin the year 2003. (hdn\/bby\/emf\/jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drive-against-leaded-gasoline-uncertain-1447893297",
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