Kaohsiung buses to switch to biodiesel

All of Kaohsiung’s city buses will begin converting from regular diesel fuel to 2% biodiesel blends by February, according to the Bureau of Energy (BOE) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). BOE Director Yeh Huey-ching said that the bureau will allow the sale of biodiesel blends in gas stations across Taiwan. Biodiesel has been found to have no negative effects on the engine performance of buses after a one-month trial run on six buses in Taipei and Kaohsiung, said Yeh. A total of 428 buses in Kaohsiung will be running on the renewable fuel with the city government receiving NT$10.6 million (US$321,358.19) in aid from the central government. According to the Industrial Technology Research Institute, which undertook the project, Kaohsiung City will become the first city in Taiwan and the second city in Asia to use biodiesel in public buses. The project will operate for six months and should help reduce bus exhaust fumes by up to 820 tons, he said. (January 27, 2007)