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New Zealand’s first public biodiesel consortium and refuelling facility was launched today (8 March) in Queenstown, a move that’s been welcomed by political, industry and environmental leaders.

Endorsed and funded by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, the ground-breaking community initiative brings sustainable fuel (used cooking oil and diesel mix) to Queenstown in what could potentially be a pilot programme for the rest of the country.

It also has the full support of the Queenstown Lakes District Council, which has supplied land and seed funding for the refuelling facility, as well as regional tourism organisation Destination Queenstown.

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

Thirty Queenstown business operators are now on board for the 12-month pilot programme and will initially run their vehicles on 20% biodiesel mixed with standard diesel (B20). In the future 100% biodiesel will also be available for use. Biodiesel blends can be used in virtually all diesel engine vehicles and the pilot programme will test the compatibility of a wide range of vehicles, from 4WDs to 53-seater buses.

Twenty-one tourism operators are already part of the consortium, 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 2010 but the pilot programme will run this winter and next summer to measure vehicle performance under Queenstown’s extreme temperatures.

Steve Henry, the biodiesel consortium project leader and manager of the Centre for Sustainable Practice, is delighted to see the project come to fruition.

“The consortium owes its existence to the support of a community focused on developing sustainable practice as the way forward for business and community development. 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 says.

Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Clive Geddes acknowledged the vision of all parties involved in the consortium.

“There is no doubt that today we are at the forefront of things to come in this country.”

The Council had no hesitation in lending its support to the milestone initiative.

“It’s timely, it’s entirely appropriate for this community and it has national significance.”

Destination Queenstown CEO Tony Everitt believes it’s an important step forward, particularly for tourism.

“This will reflect positively on Queenstown as a destination for an increasingly environmentally aware and sustainability-focused visitor market. Queenstown is the jewel in New Zealand’s tourism crown and it’s very exciting to see many of the country’s major tourism players coming together to build a more sustainable future.

“The consortium aligns perfectly with Kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and manaakitanga (hospitality), the driving principles behind New Zealand’s tourism strategy,” he says.

Queenstowners with diesel vehicles can join the consortium for a one-off $50 fee per vehicle. A swipecard will enable them to fill up at the new biodiesel pump station at the Lakeview Holiday Park on Cemetery Road. If people travel out of the area and need to refuel, ordinary diesel can be put in the tank with no noticeable change in performance.

The pump station’s fuel supply is contracted to Allied Petroleum Ltd which sources ‘Biogold’ biodiesel from Biodiesel New Zealand Ltd. Approximately two million litres of used cooking oil is currently collected and made into Biogold biodiesel.

Mr Henry says that if biodiesel is to work as a commercial product it needs to be price competitive and as close to pump prices as possible.

“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.

“Our aim is to prove commercial viability in Queenstown. We’d love to see people using biodiesel for all sorts of things in the future like home heating systems and generators. It significantly reduces carbon emissions, it supports local employment, and it makes us fuel independent. We won’t have to rely on imported oil and worry about associated impacts.

“100% biodiesel is also well suited to marine vessels and the next stage of our plan is to introduce it to our local marine operators.”

For more information visit http://www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz/schools-departments/centre-for-sustainable-practice/projects/biodiesel.html.

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ENDS

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