Pertamina officially launches ?Vi-Gas?

State oil and gas firm Pertamina on Monday launched in Jakarta a liquefied gas for vehicles (LGV) which is called Vi-Gas and claimed to be eco-friendly and safer than other gas-based fuels.

Vi-Gas, has a pressure level of eight to 12 bars, which is much lower than compressed natural gas (CNG), which has a pressure level of about 200 bars. This means the use of Vi-Gas in vehicles is safer than CNG.

Installing a converter kit in vehicles for Vi-Gas is less expensive than for CNG, about Rp 25 million (US$2,717), or Rp 10 million cheaper than a CNG converter kit.

Pertamina's Deputy Director for Marketing and Trading Hanung Budya said the company planned to build eight more gas stations in Jakarta offering the fuel this year, with a total investment of about Rp 24 billion (about US$2.6 million).

Currently, Vi-Gas is only available at a gas station on Jl. Pramuka in East Jakarta, at a price of Rp 3,600 per liter.

Hanung also said over the next two years, the company hoped to cut Jakarta's consumption of subsidized gasoline by 10 percent annually, or about 180,000 kiloliters, and replace it with Vi-Gas.

Currently, Jakarta consumes 1.8 million kiloliters of subsidized gasoline a year. According to data from the administration, some 2.5 million private cars and 3.8 million motorcycles are on the city?s roads during weekdays. (*)