Iraq: Iraqi motorists turn to LPG amid fuel price hikes, quality concerns.

Shotlist Erbil, Iraq - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Vehicles moving out of auto workshop 2. Various of workers installing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) system 3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic, dubbed in English) Haider Baha-Adin, local driver (partially overlaid with shot 4): "The difference is going to be very significant. Instead of spending 350,000 dinars (around 230 U.S. dollars) per month on gasoline, I'll now spend around 60,000 dinars on gas. Overall, this is going to make a very big difference in my running costs." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 4. Driver refueling vehicle with LPG at gas station ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 5. Various of driver paying gas bill, vehicles at gas station 6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic, dubbed in English) Haider Baha-Adin, local driver (partially overlaid with shot 7): "Just to get gasoline, I sometimes have to wait in line for three hours before I reach the station. With gas, that isn't the case. There are no such queues, so I can fill up very easily." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 7. Drivers refueling vehicles at gas station ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 8. Vehicles outside auto workshop 9. Various of workers, vehicles leaving workshop 10. Various of auto workshop owner Saif Saad working 11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic, dubbed in English) Saif Saad, owner, World Gas Systems workshop (partially overlaid with shot 12): "The gasoline is not good, its octane rating has been declining, and its quality is poor. People are worried about their cars. GDI (gasoline direct injection) vehicles, GDI engines, and regular engines experience knocking and delayed combustion in the chamber." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 12. Various of workers at auto workshop, laptop showing data ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Nabaz Nawzad, dean, College of Administration and Economy, Lebanese French University (partially overlaid with shots 14-15): "The Kurdistan Regional Government has a plan to invest in gas along with the oil because we used to invest in oil only, but nowadays the government is looking for alternatives, because that's a new, emerging trend and an emerging business for the government to help with the budget at the same time, to help the citizen. The government is trying to focus on LPG and electric vehicles." ++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 14. Traffic 15. Various of workers at auto workshop ++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 16. Various of vehicles outside auto workshop Storyline A growing number of motorists in Iraq are turning to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a cost-effective and readily accessible alternative to gasoline, a shift driven by mounting concerns over fuel prices, supply reliability and declining fuel quality, with implications that extend beyond household savings to Iraq's broader energy sector. An auto workshop in Erbil, capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, is one of many helping Iraqi motorists switch from gasoline to LPG. By installing an additional fuel system, drivers can reduce their reliance on gasoline while keeping the option to use it. For many drivers, the main motivation for adding the LPG system is economical. "The difference is going to be very significant. Instead of spending 350,000 dinars (around 230 U.S. dollars) per month on gasoline, I'll now spend around 60,000 dinars on gas. Overall, this is going to make a very big difference in my running costs," said Haider Baha-Adin, an Iraqi driver. But it's not just about saving money. For many motorists, switching to LPG also means avoiding long waits at gasoline stations. "Just to get gasoline, I sometimes have to wait in line for three hours before I reach the station. With gas, that isn't the case. There are no such queues, so I can fill up very easily," said Baha-Adin. The growing demand for LPG is also keeping mechanics busy. At the workshop in Erbil, technicians install LPG systems in around 5 to 10 vehicles a day. Installation costs vary depending on the vehicle and the type of system, ranging from several hundred to more than 800 U.S. dollars. But cost and convenience aren't the only factors behind the shift. Workshop owner Saif Saad says concerns over declining gasoline quality are also pushing drivers toward LPG. "The gasoline is not good, its octane rating has been declining, and its quality is poor. People are worried about their cars. GDI (gasoline direct injection) vehicles, GDI engines, and regular engines experience knocking and delayed combustion in the chamber," said Saif Saad, owner of the World Gas Systems workshop. However, the growing demand is also creating challenges. Saad say his workshop is facing difficulties securing the equipment needed for LPG installations, especially with the current instability in the region which has disrupted supply chains. Beyond the savings for motorists, the growing demand for alternative fuels could also have wider economic implications, cre