Energy dept moves to start CNG pipeline project

By Abigail L. Ho Philippine Daily Inquirer In a bid to give the government’s compressed natural gas (CNG) program a boost, the Department of Energy said Monday it had initiated talks with the Shell Companies in the Philippines and the Lopez group of companies on a pipeline project to bring natural gas from Batangas province to Manila. Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said plans were on the table or converting a bunker fuel pipeline that Shell and the Lopez group own, through First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC), into one that would carry natural gas. “We are discussing this with Shell and the Lopez group to see how we can work out a situation where all the stakeholders, not just the owners of the pipeline, can profit from a win-win situation,” Reyes said at a news briefing. He said the talks were about how “to finance the... [read full story]