Italian gas firm talks for investment

Source: Austria A.K.K.”Italian gas firm talks for investment.”Business World, pg3.

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes recently met with the top executives of Italy-based BRC Gas Equipment, which manufacture liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) systems for vehicles to invest in the country’s natural gas resource development. The Energy department released a statement that the BRC had expressed interest in participating the government’s program to help drivers and operators of public utility vehicles cope in the continuing rise in transport fuels by using alternative fuels. According to the statement, the BRC undertakes serial production of bi-fuel vehicles, which means, the vehicle can run with either gasoline or natural gas, for major automobile makers. The company has a wide network of dealers and workshops of LPG/CNG systems in more than 60 countries. Also, according to the Energy Department, the BRC still has to discuss the detailed plan in LPG and CNG projects in the country. The government, led by the Department of Energy is now formulating the regular framework for new technologies needed for the development of alternative fuels to be introduced in the country and hopes to finalize the guidelines within 12 months. Aside from energy department, the BRC also talked with Shell Petroleum Corp. and bus operators to explore the feasibility of constructing CNG mother and daughter stations using hydraulic compressor system which can refill CNG in just 2 minutes, against the current duration of 15 minutes. The government aims to have 2,000 CNG buses by 2010. President Gloria Arroyo recently allocated P1 Billion from Department of Transportation and Communication’s Special Vehicle Program to fund environmentally sustainable vehicles, including the use of alternative fuels.