Biofuel station opens in Queenstown

BY SUE FEA

New Zealand's first public biodiesel consortium and refuelling operation was launched in Queenstown yesterday by Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority chief executive Mike Underhill.

Queenstown Lakes Mayor Clive Geddes yesterday said the project had the full backing of the council.

The pump was built on council land at the rear of the Lakeview Holiday Park and the council had supplied some seed funding for the refuelling station, as had Destination Queenstown.

The consortium was initiated and developed by Otago Polytechnic's Centre for Sustainable Practice in collaboration with a group of tourism operators.

Thirty Queenstown business operators are already on board for the 12-month pilot programme and will initially run their vehicles on 20 per cent biodiesel (B20) mixed with standard diesel. Otago Polytechnic centre for sustainable practice spokesman Steve Henry said they hoped to have 100 vehicles refuelling there within a month.

Mr Henry said the aim was to have a 100 per cent blend available in the future.

The biodiesel was not yet available to the public.

Biodiesel blends could be used in virtually all diesel engine vehicles and the pilot programme would test the compatibility of a wide range of vehicles, from four-wheel-drives to 53-seater buses.

Mr Geddes said it was one of the most exciting projects he had been involved in.

Queenstown had managed to "squeak through" on the world stage as a destination in terms of its commitment to sustainability.

"Our time is up and we need to really demonstrate that we're doing something."

Shotover Jet engineer maintenance manager Brett Dingle said he hoped the jetboating tourism company would start trialling the biofuel in one of its buses next month.

If successful, it would consider using the biofuel for all four of it buses in the future.

The cost of the biodiesel will fluctuate depending on market prices but it is likely to cost operators about $1.05 a litre. Businesses signing up have to pay a 3c-a-litre levy to the consortium to cover its costs.

Queenstown people with diesel vehicles can join the consortium for a one-off $50 fee per vehicle.

A swipe card enables them to fill up at the new pump station on Cemetery Rd.

The pump station's fuel supply is contracted to Allied Petroleum Ltd, which sources Biogold biodiesel from Biodiesel New Zealand Ltd.

About 2 million litres of used cooking oil is collected and processed into the Biogold product.

Twenty-one tourism operators are part of the consortium so far, including the award-winning Nomad Safaris, Kiwi Discovery and Queenstown Rafting, Dart River Jet Safaris, Shotover Jet, Ziptrek Ecotours, and Appellation Wine Tours.

Initial results will be available in October but the pilot programme will run this winter and next summer to measure vehicle performance under Queenstown's extreme temperatures.

- © Fairfax NZ News