Peru, Lima

Californian-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has opened what could be the world's largest public compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in Lima, Peru. The new station marks Clean Energy's first operations outside North America. Owned and operated by Clean Energy del Peru, a joint venture (JV) between Clean Energy and Energy Gas del Peru, the station is strategically located midway between downtown Lima, Peru's capital city, and the Lima International Airport. With thousands of taxis being converted to CNG each month and thousands of buses targeted for replacement with natural gas buses, this is the first of several fueling stations the JV anticipates constructing to support the expanding CNG vehicle and bus population in Peru. 

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.

Peru's President, Alan Garcia Perez, and Minister of Energy and Mines, Juan Valdivia Romero, joined US Ambassador to Peru, P. Michael McKinley, and Andrew J. Littlefair, Clean Energy President and CEO, to inaugurate service at the station.

Alternative fuel without sacrificing food provisions

"We believe there are energy alternatives that do not jeopardize the world's food provisions ... that do not sacrifice agriculture," President Garcia said. "Our country has enough (natural) gas as an alternative, and the responsibility is to use that resource in order to avoid agriculture competing with energy resources ... If we are to gasify transportation from Ica to Huacho, and from Lima to the heights of Ticlio, we will be able to support 40 percent of the national traffic and that will mean a substantive advance in the widespread use of gas in Peru."

Speaking at the station opening, Mr. Littlefair said, "This station is unique because it can fill 32 natural gas vehicles simultaneously, including filling five transit buses at the same time, or thousands of vehicles per day. It has the capacity to deliver over 40,000 gasoline gallons equivalent of natural gas daily."