Observer says Euro 2 fuel plan expensive<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The city administration's plan to operate a busway early next
\nyear has been criticized by an activist, saying that the plan
\nwould not be economically sound if the administration had to
\nsubsidize the diesel fuel used for buses, delivered directly from
\nthe Pertamina state oil company refinery in Balongan, West Java.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Environmental Task Force (ETF) Ahmad Syafrudin
\nquestioned the administration's readiness to use diesel fuel that
\nmeets Euro 2 emission standards for the busway's 60 buses.<\/p>\n
He said that the 60 vehicles would need only about 18,000
\nliters of fuel per day, while a Pertamina official has revealed
\nthat the company would need to produce 30,000 liters of fuel per
\nday to reach breakeven point.<\/p>\n
\"Can the administration afford to pay for 30,000 liters of
\nfuel while the demand is only 18,000 liters?\" he asked The
\nJakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Rp 120 billion (US$14.12 million) busway project will use
\nspecially designed buses with doors on the right, although they
\nwill still be right-hand-drive vehicles. The buses must be
\noperated using Euro 2 diesel fuel, the price of which is Rp 2,080
\n(25 U.S. cents) per liter, Rp 430 more than regular diesel fuel.<\/p>\n
By buying only 18,000 liters of fuel per day, the
\nadministration would have to spend Rp 24.96 million on
\nsubsidizing Pertamina's production.<\/p>\n
Euro 2 diesel fuel is environmentally friendlier and its
\nemission is much cleaner than Euro 1 diesel fuel. Vehicles using
\nEuro 2 diesel fuel would emit fewer pollutants to the atmosphere.<\/p>\n
As an example, sulfur particles at Euro 2 standard are about
\n500 parts per million (ppm) but for Euro 1 they are over 1,000
\nppm.<\/p>\n
Nearly all vehicles, including public transportation in
\nIndonesia, have yet to adopt the Euro 2 fuel standard.<\/p>\n
Ahmad said that diesel fuel sold at gas stations here
\ncontained 3,500 ppm to 5,000 ppm of sulfur particles.<\/p>\n
\"It would be good news for our environment if the
\nadministration genuinely intended to use Euro 2 diesel fuel,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Assistant to the city secretary for development affairs Irzal
\nDjamal told the Post that the reason for using the fuel was to
\nmeet public demand to provide environmentally friendlier public
\ntransportation.<\/p>\n
Irzal said that since the administration had yet to adopt a
\nplan to build a gas station offering Euro 2 diesel fuel, tanker
\ntrucks would deliver it directly from Balongan to the city.<\/p>\n
The 12.9-kilometer busway corridor connecting Blok M, South
\nJakarta, and downtown Kota, West Jakarta, has entered its final
\nstages of preparation.<\/p>\n
The administration has been building shelters for the busway
\nin the median strip along Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Jl. Sudirman, Jl.
\nThamrin, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat and Jl. Gajah Mada.<\/p>\n
The buses on the system will, however, be able to accommodate
\nonly around 20,000 of the total 60,000 commuters who travel from
\nBlok M to Kota.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/observer-says-euro-2-fuel-plan-expensive-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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