Using Natural Gas for Vehicles –

The State Government through the Department of Economic Development along with representatives of the Australian natural gas vehicles industry have joined together to host a one-day conference for Tasmanian business and industry on using natural gas for vehicles.
Leader for the Government in the Legislative Council, Doug Parkinson, said the conference's importance can't be understated.
“At a time when the global community is concerned about dwindling oil supplies and global warming Australia has an abundant supply of natural gas - a fuel that is cheaper than diesel and has been shown to deliver greenhouse reductions of up to 18 per cent compared with diesel vehicles,” said Mr Parkinson.
“The one-day conference at Wrest Point has been designed to give participants an assessment of the current state of play in relation to the use of natural gas for transport and to provide practical advice about running trucks on natural gas.
“There will also be discussion of the results from mainland trials conducted under the Alternative Fuels Conversion Programme and an overview of the preliminary results from the Cripps NuBake natural gas vehicle trial – the first of its kind in Tasmania, which I had the pleasure of launching in August.
“Back in October 2001 as Chairman of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment, Resources and Development I hosted a forum on the use of Compressed Natural Gas as a transport fuel and said that the future availability of natural gas in Tasmania would offer economic, environmental and health benefits.
“I’m delighted this prediction has come true and it is now inevitable that with gas rolling out in the state we will see vehicles being powered by gas,” he said.
“Natural gas vehicles have come a long way since they were first considered in Australia.
“It is now possible to buy a fully warranted natural gas truck direct from a truck manufacturer.
“Speakers will outline the opportunities and challenges associated with using natural gas for transport.
“Like anything that is worthwhile, there are some challenges associated with the widespread adoption of natural gas for transport in Australia – most notably a limited supply of vehicle products and limited refuelling infrastructure.
“Most of these challenges, however, are now being progressively addressed giving us all confidence that natural gas is likely to be a real-world alternative to conventional diesel fuels for transport in Australia,” said Mr Parkinson.
Further information about the conference can be obtained by contacting:
Craig Martin at Economic Development on 62 33 5832.