Peru, Lima

Natural gas is continuing to prove its diversity as an alternative fuel, demonstrating that altitude and weight are no barrier to its use. Trials of rail locomotives running on natural gas in Peru appear to have been successful, with Ferrocarril Central Andino (FCCA), the consortium operating a railway in Peru linking the port of Callao to Huancayo and Cerro de Pasco, apparently putting a locomotive running on compressed natural gas into operation. Livinginperu.com quotes a company executive as saying that the initiative will produce carbon dioxide reductions of seven thousand tons over the use of diesel engines. The report says the company has plans to purchase 5 of the locomotives and also implies that the company will convert their entire fleet to natural gas during the course of 2008.