Logistics company identifies growth potential of gas

Logistics company JBN
International sees significant
growth potential in its gas
business if it becomes an
alternative energy source
to electricity in South
Africa – but it would require
government approval,
according to the company’s
Thanusia Naicker.
“Currently about 80% of
our business is involved in the
petroleum sector but we have
seen a growing demand for
gas products – particularly
as electricity becomes
increasingly more expensive
and unreliable,” she told FTW.
Naicker said JBN expected
South Africa to become a
huge market. “We are aware
that there has been interest
shown by commuter
companies and regulatory
bodies who are looking
into running their vehicles
on compressed natural gas
(CNG),” she said.
There were however
challenges around
developing this market
in South Africa – like
insufficient storage
facilities for gases and the
fact that transportation, by
road and sea, could be quite
expensive due to the need
for specialised equipment,
Naicker pointed out.
She believes government
intervention is needed to
address these challenges.
“They should create policy
around this to make the use of
natural gases more accessible
as a source of alternative
energy,” said Naicker.
CAPTION
The specialised transportation of gas can be expensive,
according to Thanusia Naicker of JBN international.