Minister Calls for Switch to LNGs
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Kamis, 3 September 2015 21:18 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-owned Enterprises (SoE) Minister, Rini Soemarno, said that swithcing to Liquefied Natural Gases (LNG) from crude oil based fuels could help industries shield themselves from ballooning operational costs amidst the current economic turmoil.
"Our foreign exchange reserves is suffering because of the US Dollar's steep appreciation against the rest of the world's currencies," said Rini in Jakarta on Thursday, September 3, 2015.
Rini used the example of state-shipping company PT PELNI, and ferry operator PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, who spends around 58 percent of its' entire operational costs on fuel. If both companies have converted their engines to run on LNG, then costs could be suppressed by around 24 percent.
"Aside from the lower costs, LNGs are cleaner and therefore, more friendly for the environment," continued Rini.
The Executive Director for state-gas company PT PGN, Hendi Prio Santoso, said that the switch to LNGs will help the country reduce its' use of fuels. "Fuel efficiency could go up as high as 40 percent," he said.
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