LNG to be used as fuel in transportation sector

State-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina is considering the possibility of turning LNG into fuel for the transportation sector, Kompas reported on Monday.

Daniel Purba, Pertamina Vice President for Gas Technology and Power Plant, said that LNG can be used as fuel for large capacity vehicles such as being applied in the US.

Speaking on the sidelines of an LNG forum in Bali late last week, he said that for now LNG is only economically feasible to be used in large capacity vehicles such as large trucks or large buses in public transportation sector.

?We?ll promote LNG as fuel for transportation not only for industries and power plants,? he said, adding that to spread the use of LNG as fuel for transportation sector, there must be promotional campaign so that the public would not get jittery about using LNG as fuel.

He said that a try-out would be implemented with one operational bus at the Bontang LNG complex in East Kalimantan this year.

Elsewhere, Daniel said that Pertamina is also seeking efforts to supply LNG for the mining sector, a largest fuel consumer. He said that the company has been in talks with coal mining firm PT Indominco and has received positive response. He added that realization in the mining sector would take about six months.

Meanwhile, Haposan Napitupulu, Deputy for Planning at upstream oil and gas regulator BPMIGAS, said the construction of the third Tangguh train facility, which is expected to produce 2.6 million tons of LNG per year, will start in 2018. Therefore, the search for potential market has begun. (*)