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THE
Department of Energy (DOE) cautioned the public against
using a dual-fuel system which utilizes in-line blending
of 70-percent diesel and 30-percent liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG).
“The
results of the tests made by the Department of Science
and Technology [DOST] on this system have been proven to
be very inconclusive,” Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes
said, adding that LPG and diesel combinations are not
proven to be safe.
Reyes
said the DOE and its partners will provide the
guidelines and accreditation requirements for the
retrofitting of jeepneys and buses from diesel
(compression ignition) to spark-ignition engines to
allow the 100-percent utilization of alternative fuels
such as LPG, compressed natural gas (CNG) and 85-percent
bioethanol blends.
On
June 16, the DOE said President Arroyo ordered the fuel
conversion of jeepneys and buses to LPG and CNG.
Reyes
recommended to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita that
the DOE conduct tests prior to the full enforcement of
the mixed-fuel technology.
Meanwhile, the DOE shall initiate the retrofitting of
public jeepneys and buses from diesel to spark-ignition
engines to allow the 100-percent utilization of LPG, CNG
and 85-percent bioethanol blends.
The
move to utilize alternative fuels is one of the
government’s ways to combat the continually rising
prices of fossil fuels. At the same time, it will boost
public safety, health, the environment and compliance
with standards as primary concerns.
The
guidelines will come from the DOE, in partnership with
the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC),
Land Transportation Office (LTO), Land Transportation
and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Department of
Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Trade and
Industries -Bureau of Product Standards, and the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Bureau
of Fire Protection. -- P. A. Isla |
