Shanghai natural gas JV opens

China's first foreign-funded JV to supply equipment for natural gas stations began operation in Shanghai, part of an effort to increase use of environmentally friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) in eastern China. The US$7 million venture is split 60-40 between Britain's CompAir Group and the Shanghai Electric Company. At present Shanghai has only four CNG stations supplying fuel for about 470 CNG-capable vehicles. City authorities plan to expand that considerably with the opening of new pipelines transporting natural gas from the western provinces to the east coast.