The first LNG station in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region is part of the initial phase of a 110 million yuan (USD 17.23 million) project that supplies natural gas to Tibet from the neighbouring Qinghai Province. The entire initiative, consisting of an LNG terminal that receives 1,560 cubic meters of gas daily and two filling stations, will be completed in November.
Tibet’s regional government reached the deal with PetroChina in 2009 in an effort to protect the fragile plateau environment, said Qiu Lijian, manager of the Lhasa-based Kunpeng LNG Co. “The fuel produces 85 percent less exhaust than petroleum and diesel, and will reduce emissions of harmful chemicals,” he added.
In turn, it also cuts fuel costs by 30 percent and reduces maintenance costs, as LNG contains less erosive substance, according to a driver who runs one of Lhasa’s first nine LNG-powered taxis.
