Space for gas stations running out: Sarwono<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The scarcity of land in the city has become a
\nmajor obstacle to building new gas stations, Minister of
\nEnvironment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said yesterday.<\/p>\n
He said investors were struggling to find land to build new
\nstations.<\/p>\n
\"To solve the problem, the Jakarta administration is only
\nwilling to issue permits for gasoline and diesel fuel filling
\nstations if the investors also build natural gas pumps,\" Sarwono
\nsaid after inaugurating a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) station
\nin a Taxi Express pool on Jl. Veteran, Kebayoran Lama, South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
According to Sarwono, the city has 25 gas filling stations, 18
\nof which sell compressed natural gas (CNG) and seven LPG.<\/p>\n
Some of the 153 diesel fuel and gasoline stations also sell
\nCNG and LPG.<\/p>\n
Of 2.5 million vehicles on the city's streets, about 1,800 --
\ncomprising 1,570 taxies, 150 private cars and 80 public buses --
\nuse LPG and CNG.<\/p>\n
The percentage of vehicles running on natural gas climbed
\nyesterday when 200 taxis in the Taxi Express fleet were
\nconverted.<\/p>\n
\"The use of gas fuel is not only to support the Blue Sky
\nprogram but also to benefit people because of the low price of
\nthe gas,\" Sarwono said.<\/p>\n
The blue sky program was introduced by Sarwono last year to
\nreduce air pollution.<\/p>\n
A liter of CNG costs Rp 270 (10 US cents) while LPG is Rp 570
\nper liter.<\/p>\n
CNG is provided by PT Elnusa, a subsidiary of the state-owned
\noil company PT Pertamina while LPG is distributed by the
\nprivately run PT Otogas Karya Pratama.<\/p>\n
Sri Hartati Sutowo, a director of PT Otogas, said yesterday a
\nLPG station cost Rp 500 million (US$175,438), excluding the cost
\nof the land, to develop and required at least 500 square meters.<\/p>\n
\"That's why we cooperated with public transportation companies
\nto build gas stations in their fleets' pools,\" Sri said.<\/p>\n
Besides that, city taxis travel an average of 350 kilometers a
\nday, which would make the use of gas very economic, she said.<\/p>\n
Three of the seven LPG filling stations are owned by taxi
\ncompanies, two by Citra Taxi, run by businesswoman Siti
\nHardijanti Rukmana, and the Express Taxi one inaugurated today.
\n(jun)<\/p>",
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