Call for NGV station in schemes
By Conny Banji
Natural gas the most attractive alternative for over 10,000 settlers in Sungai Assap, Koyan
SIBU: The Orang Ulu people in Sungai Assap and Sungai Koyan resettlement schemes want the national oil and gas company, Petronas, to consider setting up a Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) station in their area.
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The chairman of Uma Belor Welfare Committee Danny Bungan said Petronas chairman Tan Sri Hassan Marican had recently said the national oil corporation had plan to have at least 200 NGV stations nationwide by 2010. It currently has 90 stations in the peninsula and intends to add 59 this year.
Danny said with the rising fuel prices, natural gas would be the most attractive alternative to the more than 10,000 settlers in the two schemes.
“Natural gas is cheap and also friendly to the environment, and I believe nearby Bintulu, which is the state’s premier gas town, has the necessary facilities for its production,” he told reporters yesterday.
He said the majority of the settlers had no fixed income but many of them had cars and 4WD vehicles in order to move around, go to their farms, and to Bintulu for shopping, medical, education and official matters.
“I have been told by my taxi driver friends in Kuala Lumpur that it only costs about RM8 to buy 11 litres of gas, to enable them to travel for at least 160km.
He said perhaps the only setback was the installation of the gas tank which would cost between RM3,000 and RM3,500 for a car the size of Proton Wira, Waja or Iswara. (based on Kuala Lumpur price).
“In the long run, this is a worthwhile investment. I hope Petronas and the government remember us when looking for an area to set up such stations in the state,” he said, adding that the fuel price hike presented much hardship to those depending on private vans or cars to travel from Assap to Bintulu.
“My relatives in Assap have told me that it now costs them at least RM50 (one way) to travel from Assap to Bintulu. It used to be RM35,” he said.
