MAKING GAS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30154, 11 June 1963, Page 14

MAKING GAS

Use Of oh Considered

<N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 10.

Unless natural gas became available, the of oil as a basis for gas-making must be seriously considered for future expansion, said Mr A. G Wilson,, chairman of the Auckland Gas Company, at the annual meeting today Mr Wilson said that alternative fuel Resources which may need only a fraction of the amount of capital expenditure must be closely studied in the national interest.

“In turning to natural gas,” he said, “we are anxiously awaiting further positive data on Kapuni and there are prospects in other fields in the Waikato and Northland." Mr Wilson said there had been a recent break-through in research and development at the British Gas Council’s research station al Birmingham, where town gas of great purity Could be produced from cheap oil distillates at a much lower cost than from coal and with plant costing only one-sixth of the capital cost of a normal coalcarbonising plant "This means that it would Oe much more economic for the gas industry to gasify and distribute oil through its pipelines than for oil companies to distribute the oil bv road tanker as is done at present.” said Mr Wilson. Mr Wilson said that all of the major, new and exciting developments made it an urgent necessity to set up a ministry of fuel.