Kiwi Discovery and Queenstown Rafting general manager Tim
Barke fills up at New Zealand's first biodiesel blend
refuelling facility, launched in Queenstown yesterday.
Photo by Joanne Carroll.
New Zealand's first biodiesel refuelling facility was
launched in Queenstown yesterday.
The Queenstown Lakes Biodiesel Consortium is the first of its
kind in New Zealand and provides access to a supply of B20
blended biodiesel for commercial vehicles.
The fuel is 20% biodiesel and 80% standard diesel.
The consortium, which comprises 35 businesses so far, was set
up by the Otago Polytechnic's Centre for Sustainable
Practice, with funding from the Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Authority's biodiesel grant scheme.
The 12-month pilot will supply the blended fuel for use in
commercial business vehicles to test summer and winter blends
and to check the commercial viability.
Consortium project leader and manager of the Centre for
Sustainable Practice, Steve Henry, said he was delighted to
see the project come to fruition.
"This isn't about tree-hugging.
"It's about fuel security and being serious about our triple
bottom line: to widen our thinking to evaluate our economic,
environmental and social performance," he said.
The long-term aim was to introduce the commercial use of
biodiesel in Otago and Southland.
The centre brought potential biodiesel users together to
broker a commercial supply contract with Allied Petroleum
Ltd, which sources Biogold biodiesel from Biodiesel New
Zealand Ltd.
Biodiesel has 90% fewer carbon emissions than mineral diesel.
Domestically grown rapeseed oil and about 2 million litres of
used cooking oil, collected from the food businesses,
including Queenstown ones, provide the basis for the
biodiesel.
It was hoped that pure biodiesel, or B100, could be
introduced to the region at a later date.
"Our B20 is being supplied at a price similar to the standard
pump price and the more users we have, the more the price
will decrease," Mr Henry said.
Biodiesel is subsidised by the Government at 42.5c a litre.
The consortium levies 3c a litre for running costs.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council has provided land and
seed funding for the refuelling facility.
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