The Kirkuk Directorate of Traffic has embarked on implementing the decision of the governemnt to convert vehicles to work with Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) instead of gasoline.
In addition to the lower prices of natural gas compared to gasoline, the move is also aimed to protect the environment.
The new decision will lay down the installation of LPG system as a condition for renewal of vehicle registration.
The vehicle fuel system conversion adopted by the Kirkuk directorate of traffic is based on a recent decision by the Iraqi government to apply the system in all Iraqi provinces except the Kurdistan region.
As a first step, Kirkuk began to implement the decision on taxis.
"We received an order by the Iraqi Council of Ministers to convert to liquefied gas rather than gasoline. we started the first phase of the plan with the vehicles that are converted to taxis", said Brigadier Jamal Hakim, head of Kirkuk general directorate of traffic.
The first Phase of fuel system conversion will be applied on Taxis
"No time frame has been set for the implementation of the decision, but the second phase will include all vehicles which require registration renewal”, he added.
Brigadier Jamal Hakim said that the liquefied natural gas system is being installed by a company linked to the North Oil Company, indicating that the system conversion will cost 500,000 Iraqi dinars (around US$ 400) for each vehicle.
The decision brings mixed reactions
Gazi Saber, a 36-year-old taxi driver, said that "the price of liquefied gas compared to gasoline is much lower and will also play an important role in the protection of the environment."
Meanwhile, Hijran Abdullah, another taxi driver, has a completely different opinion. "How can I afford to pay 500 thousand dinars to install the system when I earn only 15,000 dinars a day?" He said, stressing the need to lower the cost of the feul system conversion.
Ali Faridoun, 52, believes that the decision is “beneficial both environmentally and economically”, however he fears that LPG tanks could explode, particularly under high temperatures.
