Shell Australia to begin production of low aromatic fuel to fill demand

Australia’s Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, has issued an announcement that Shell Australia will begin production of low aromatic fuel from mid-2013 to supply the northern part of Australia, covering areas such as the Top End of the Northern Territory, the Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York and East Kimberley. This new arrangement will help support the expanded rollout into at least 39 additional sites, Snowdown said.
BP Australia will continue to supply its low aromatic fuel (Opal) in the latter half of 2013, to Central and South Australia and parts of Western Australia, including the West Australian Goldfields and the Ngaanyatjarra lands.
Snowdon said that the new arrangement with the two companies, both producers and suppliers of low aromatic fuel, will help the Australian government in its effort to stamp out petrol sniffing, a major problem in regional and remote communities. He added that as a result of the voluntary rollout of low aromatic fuel since 2008, the incidence of petrol sniffing has been reduced by more than 90% in areas where the fuel has been stocked.
New arrangements for establishing storage facilities in the Northern Territory and North Queensland have also been made, to ensure ongoing supply of the fuel.
“Representatives from the Department of Health and Ageing are committed to continuing to work with local councils, fuel retailers and distributors, health and community services providers, and communities to discuss the benefits of the voluntary rollout of low aromatic fuel and the new arrangements,” Snowdon said. (December 3, 2012)