Roll out of OPAL fuel to help combat petrol sniffing

View by date:

• February
  • January
  • February
  • March
  • April
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • August
  • September
  • October
  • November
  • December

• 2006
  • 2013
  • 2012
  • 2011
  • 2010
  • 2009
  • 2008
  • 2007
  • 2006
  • 2005
  • 2004

PDF printable version of Roll out of OPAL fuel to help combat petrol sniffing (PDF 29 KB)

10 February 2006
ABB010/06

Non-sniffable OPAL fuel is now available to the Alice Springs community following its introduction at BP Alice City petrol station today.

This is in addition to 52 Indigenous communities already using OPAL.

An extended roll out of OPAL fuel is taking place as part of the Commonwealth Government’s eight-point plan to combat petrol sniffing in the Central Desert Region of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia.

The eight-point plan targets petrol sniffing in the region through the introduction of OPAL fuel, education programs and rehabilitation services. The Commonwealth has allocated $6.5 million to the plan, which is an important step in the fight against petrol sniffing.

The roll out of the fuel to the BP petrol station in Alice Springs will assist the Alice Springs community, travellers coming through the region, and communities within the Central Desert Region. It means that people visiting Central Desert communities can fill their tanks with the non-sniffable fuel.

The Central Desert Region includes Yulara Resort and other roadhouses on the Lassiter Highway and extends down the Stuart Highway from Henbury, through the Erldunda and Kulgera Roadhouses to Marla, covering a total geographical area of approximately 128,000 square kilometres. Most communities in this region already use OPAL fuel. Roadhouses and other communities are expected to switch to OPAL fuel within the next few months.

The Howard Government has committed about $20 million to combat petrol sniffing between 2004-05 and 2007-08.

Further information on the fuel and its application is available at http://www.bp.com.au/products/fuels/opal/opal.asp

For more information call Mr Abbott's office on ph 02 6277 7220.

Facts about Opal

• Opal is an unleaded petrol which exceeds all of the national standards for regular unleaded petrol and can be used in all applications requiring regular unleaded petrol, including two- and four-stroke engines, meaning it is safe for use in your outboards, passenger vehicles, petrol 4WDs and vans. Opal is also safe to put with your tank of regular unleaded when you fill up.
• Opal has already been in use over the past 12 months in selected communities throughout Australia.
• An independent toxicologist assessed how Opal compared to other types of fuel and determined that although all fuels are potentially toxic, Opal is the least toxic in terms of chronic exposure.
• Opal is better for the environment. Tailpipe emissions from a vehicle running on Opal were equal to or less than those from a vehicle running on regular unleaded.
• Opal delivers a performance for your car that is equivalent to regular unleaded. Fuel economy variation between a vehicle running on Opal versus regular unleaded is no more than 0.3 litres per 100km - well within the normal variation between petrol blends in the marketplace.