CNG fueling station opens in Peru

LIMA, April 22 (UPI) -- California-based Clean Energy Fuels opened the largest compressed natural gas station in Lima, Peru, Monday, the company said.

Peruvian President Alan Garcia Perez, Minister of Energy and Mines Juan Valdivia Romero, U.S. Ambassador to Peru P. Michael McKinley and Andrew J. Littlefair, Clean Energy president and chief executive officer, were all on hand to inaugurate service at the station.

It is owned and operated by Clean Energy del Peru, a joint venture between Clean Energy and Energy Gas del Peru. With thousands of taxis being converted to CNG each month and thousands of buses targeted for replacement as well, the station, located near the downtown area, is the first of several fueling stations Clean Energy del Peru hopes to build.

The use of natural gas in the transportation sector supports the Peruvian government's fuel diversity objectives for public transportation and will help make optimal use of Peru's large domestic natural gas supply. Peru has the fifth-largest proven natural gas reserves in South America.