Full Story
Gas fuels petrol changes
By: Augetto GraigTHE start of 2004 saw a new era in Namibia's automotive history as the first ever conversions of petroleum driven vehicles to dual-fuel driven automobiles in Namibia were carried out by SADT-Autogas (Namibia) Pty. Ltd in mid-January.
The conversions are being carried out at their premises at 100
Danzig Street in the Lafrenz Industrial Area.
The company heads an ambitious programme to introduce LPG
(Liquid Petroleum Gas) as an alternative fuel source for Namibian
road users.
LPG is nothing new to the world and duel-fuel conversions are
well established in countries as diverse as Germany, England,
France and Australia as well as in Thailand, Korea, Hong Kong and
South America.
According to Antonio Mendonca, managing director of
SADT-Autogas, a Namibian-owned company, it has been busy for almost
two years laying the groundwork for this "transfer of technology"
development.
To oversee the budding new industry, the Automotive Alternative
Fuels Registrations Board of Namibia (AAFRB) has been established
last year.
The gas is to cost N$2,50 per litre according to Mendonca, but
this price may soon increase to N$2,90 in order to recoup some
initial costs.
Already, Mendonca says, some 4000 vehicles are to be converted
for clients as diverse as the Ministry of Defence, the Windhoek
City Council and the Namibian Police.
Converted vehicles will be fitted with special number plates,
said Mendonca.
These compliance number plates, backed by the Ministry of Works
and Transport, help to identify converted vehicles and also help to
ensure that conversions are carried out by qualified, licensed
installers registered with the AAFRB.
He explained the benefits of using LPG in conjunction with
normal petrol are many and include a 40 per cent saving in fuel
costs for motorists.
Also cleaner burning of fuel in motor vehicle engines and less
emissions make the alternative fuel more environmentally
friendly.
Combustion is improved, maintenance costs reduced, longer engine
life, quieter engines are other benefits, he said.
Mendonca is a born Namibian who finished school in Gibeon.
He went into exile in 1986 and found himself in Australia where
he did a bachelor of law degree and a master's in finance.
Ever since he has been involved in various projects all over the
world before returning to Namibia in 1999.
His partner and daughter are still in Australia, said
Mendonca.
Now he and the five other stakeholders in the company (one is a
permanent secretary and another is an under-secretary in the
Government), as well as the staff who number about ten, stand on
the brink of seeing their hard work come to fruition.
Eventually the company aims to employ about 2500 people all over
Namibia, he said.
To this point the company has secured permission from the
Ministry of Mines and Energy to go ahead with the project on May
3.
Namcor is the parastatal which holds a 50 per cent mandate to
bring fuel into the country and Autogas (Namibia) is still in the
process of finalising negotiations with them, said Mendonca.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry as well as the Ministry of
Environment and Tourism both support the project, Mendonca
said.
The use of LPG is in line with the United Nations Framework on
Conversion of Climate Change, he added.
Also the UNDP has expressed interest in helping spread education
and information about the fuel alternative in the interests of
saving the environment.
LPG includes Propane and Butane, which can be stored or
transported separately or as a mixture.
Although usually stored and transported as a liquid these
chemicals exist as gases at normal room temperature and atmospheric
pressure.
According to e-ipg.com, LPG comes from two sources.
It can be refined from crude oil or it can be extracted from
natural gas from underground reservoirs.
Only about 40 per cent of the world's LPG is extracted from
crude oil while the rest is from natural gas reservoirs.
LPG is colourless and odourless.
Suppliers commonly add a smell prior to supply to help users
detect leaks, according to the specialised Internet site.
The LPG to be used in Namibia is sourced from South Africa at
the moment but eventually it should come from Namibia's own Kudu
Gas development, he explained.
The gas, in liquid form, is stored in specialised tanks from
which it can be tapped directly into the storage tanks converted
vehicles are fitted with.
The conversion of vehicles, which involves the fitting of about
six new parts, including the 72 litre gas fuel tanks, costs N$6500
per installation, he said.
Tanks can be custom made, Mendonca said.
The tanks are made from 4 mm steel and can withstand 3 tonne
direct impact.
According to Mendonca, these tanks are ten times stronger than
metal or plastic petrol tanks and with their pressure gauge release
valves, increase general safety.
Also, he noted, LPG is not flammable in liquid form.
The installation process takes about a half a day to
complete.
Once installed, the vehicle is fitted with a switch on the
dashboard with which the driver can switch the engine from using
conventional fuel to LPG at his or her convenience.
This feature helps greatly in places where LPG is not yet
available, Mendonca said.
The company aims to service two types of clients: being
commercial and retail clients.
Commercial clients will typically have their own storage tanks
on site, as is the case with the Windhoek City Council, said
Mendonca.
Also cars can currently fill up with gas at the company
headquarters in Windhoek.
Another site for a filling station is being prepared in
Windhoek's Eros suburb across from the existing BP service station,
said Mendonca.
He explained that more tanks have been ordered from the
manufacturer COPRIM in Italy, which are to arrive in February.
Retail clients will be mostly local service stations where
Autogas plans to install tanks and pumps to be operated by the
service station in exchange for a commission on gas sold.
Agents will also work for the company but these will have their
own tanks and may do their own conversions with the support of
Autogas (Namibia).
The company heads an ambitious programme to introduce LPG (Liquid
Petroleum Gas) as an alternative fuel source for Namibian road
users.LPG is nothing new to the world and duel-fuel conversions are
well established in countries as diverse as Germany, England,
France and Australia as well as in Thailand, Korea, Hong Kong and
South America.According to Antonio Mendonca, managing director of
SADT-Autogas, a Namibian-owned company, it has been busy for almost
two years laying the groundwork for this "transfer of technology"
development. To oversee the budding new industry, the Automotive
Alternative Fuels Registrations Board of Namibia (AAFRB) has been
established last year.The gas is to cost N$2,50 per litre according
to Mendonca, but this price may soon increase to N$2,90 in order to
recoup some initial costs. Already, Mendonca says, some 4000
vehicles are to be converted for clients as diverse as the Ministry
of Defence, the Windhoek City Council and the Namibian Police.
Converted vehicles will be fitted with special number plates, said
Mendonca. These compliance number plates, backed by the Ministry of
Works and Transport, help to identify converted vehicles and also
help to ensure that conversions are carried out by qualified,
licensed installers registered with the AAFRB.He explained the
benefits of using LPG in conjunction with normal petrol are many
and include a 40 per cent saving in fuel costs for motorists. Also
cleaner burning of fuel in motor vehicle engines and less emissions
make the alternative fuel more environmentally friendly. Combustion
is improved, maintenance costs reduced, longer engine life, quieter
engines are other benefits, he said.Mendonca is a born Namibian who
finished school in Gibeon. He went into exile in 1986 and found
himself in Australia where he did a bachelor of law degree and a
master's in finance. Ever since he has been involved in various
projects all over the world before returning to Namibia in 1999.
His partner and daughter are still in Australia, said Mendonca.Now
he and the five other stakeholders in the company (one is a
permanent secretary and another is an under-secretary in the
Government), as well as the staff who number about ten, stand on
the brink of seeing their hard work come to fruition. Eventually
the company aims to employ about 2500 people all over Namibia, he
said.To this point the company has secured permission from the
Ministry of Mines and Energy to go ahead with the project on May 3.
Namcor is the parastatal which holds a 50 per cent mandate to bring
fuel into the country and Autogas (Namibia) is still in the process
of finalising negotiations with them, said Mendonca.The Ministry of
Trade and Industry as well as the Ministry of Environment and
Tourism both support the project, Mendonca said. The use of LPG is
in line with the United Nations Framework on Conversion of Climate
Change, he added. Also the UNDP has expressed interest in helping
spread education and information about the fuel alternative in the
interests of saving the environment.LPG includes Propane and
Butane, which can be stored or transported separately or as a
mixture. Although usually stored and transported as a liquid these
chemicals exist as gases at normal room temperature and atmospheric
pressure. According to e-ipg.com, LPG comes from two sources. It
can be refined from crude oil or it can be extracted from natural
gas from underground reservoirs. Only about 40 per cent of the
world's LPG is extracted from crude oil while the rest is from
natural gas reservoirs. LPG is colourless and odourless. Suppliers
commonly add a smell prior to supply to help users detect leaks,
according to the specialised Internet site. The LPG to be used in
Namibia is sourced from South Africa at the moment but eventually
it should come from Namibia's own Kudu Gas development, he
explained. The gas, in liquid form, is stored in specialised tanks
from which it can be tapped directly into the storage tanks
converted vehicles are fitted with. The conversion of vehicles,
which involves the fitting of about six new parts, including the 72
litre gas fuel tanks, costs N$6500 per installation, he said. Tanks
can be custom made, Mendonca said. The tanks are made from 4 mm
steel and can withstand 3 tonne direct impact. According to
Mendonca, these tanks are ten times stronger than metal or plastic
petrol tanks and with their pressure gauge release valves, increase
general safety. Also, he noted, LPG is not flammable in liquid
form. The installation process takes about a half a day to
complete.Once installed, the vehicle is fitted with a switch on the
dashboard with which the driver can switch the engine from using
conventional fuel to LPG at his or her convenience. This feature
helps greatly in places where LPG is not yet available, Mendonca
said. The company aims to service two types of clients: being
commercial and retail clients. Commercial clients will typically
have their own storage tanks on site, as is the case with the
Windhoek City Council, said Mendonca. Also cars can currently fill
up with gas at the company headquarters in Windhoek. Another site
for a filling station is being prepared in Windhoek's Eros suburb
across from the existing BP service station, said Mendonca. He
explained that more tanks have been ordered from the manufacturer
COPRIM in Italy, which are to arrive in February. Retail clients
will be mostly local service stations where Autogas plans to
install tanks and pumps to be operated by the service station in
exchange for a commission on gas sold. Agents will also work for
the company but these will have their own tanks and may do their
own conversions with the support of Autogas (Namibia).
