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By Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Reporter
THE development of another
“clean fuel” in the Philippines got a boost after multinational
firm Callandra Alternative Fuels & Energy disclosed plans to put
up compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling stations in Manila by next
year.
Randall Antonio, Callandra
president and CEO, said the company plans to spend “anywhere
between $77 million to $210 million” for the CNG stations in
addition to a processing plant for the alternative fuel.
“Everything will be funded by
investors from abroad. We’re hoping, if everything goes well, to
have groundbreaking by early next year or first quarter of 2008,”
he said.
Antonio said the Department of
Energy (DOE) has already given its endorsement to the venture and
“is helping us get our accreditation.”
“Initially, we plan our site to
be able to cater to 2,500 buses and expand this up to 5,000 within 7
to 10 years,” he said.
Antonio said that the company
plans to tap the Malampaya, which is run by a consortium led by
Shell, for its CNG supply.
“We’re looking at various gas
suppliers, ideally from Malampaya, as well as importing natural gas
from other countries [such as] Indonesia, Malaysia, Iraq and
Qatar,” he added.
Among the company’s business
partners include Gladstein Nean-dross & Associates, Baker &
Mc-Kenzie, PriceWaterhouse-Coopers, Dabing Langdon & Seah, AIG
Group of Companies, Black River Capital and CB Richard Ellis.
This will be Callandra’s first
venture in the country and comes on the heels of Pilipinas Shell’s
completion of its main CNG filling station in Tabangao, Batangas,
and refilling station in Biñan, Laguna.
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