Shell to supply CNG to buses starting March

MANILA, Philippines - Pilipinas Shell will start supplying compressed natural gas  (CNG) to buses from its daughter station in Mamplasan, Biñan, Laguna by the middle of  next month, the Department of Energy (DOE) assured on Thursday.

DOE Undersecretary Roy Kyamko said several CNG-run bus operators have raised  concern on the inability of Shell to supply CNG to their buses since October last year  ausing them to incur huge losses of about P200 million.

The CNG bus operators earlier claimed an alleged “connivance” between Shell and the  DOE to declare the pilot program a failure to discourage the use of CNG over diesel.

But Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said the department has been intensifying efforts  

to promote the use of cleaner fuel like CNG and has been coordinating properly with  other government agencies to extend help to the affected bus operators.

“We understand the situation of the business people involved in the CNG project. Its a project that has a laudable objective in terms of alleviating transportation requirements and addressing environment concerns and we’ve been trying to help them,” Reyes said.

On the threat of bus operators to just convert their CNG-run buses to diesel, Reyes said: “That’s a business decision that they will have to make.

Reyes said any decision by these businessmen will not in any way affect the government’s thrust to promote the use of cleaner fuel such as CNG.

“We will still open the program to others who will be interested in continuing the program. We’re bent on pursuing it.

Its good for the environment and we have the resource to provide the fuel but again, this is an infrastructure challenge. Were hoping by that time we already have the pipeline, infrastrustructure by then,” he said.