Coal Imported For Gas

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30980, 9 February 1966, Page 1

Coal Imported For Gas

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, Feb. 8. The first shipment of 17,500 tons of Australian coal, costing more than £150,000 will arrive in Auckland tomorrow for the Auckland Gas Company. Ltd.

It is importing the ( coal because of plant problems caused by West Coast and Waikato coal. The general man- : ager, Mr R. Worley, ’ said today that if Australian coal was not imported, there would be gas shortages in Auckland in the winter. It is believed that New Zealand coal miners are unhappy with the company’s de-! cision. “There is no alternative.”; Mr Worley said. “Newcastle! coal costs £8 14s a ton land - ed here, compared with £5: 19s for New Zealand coal.■' and we wouldn't be going to. this expense, except that we have a duty to our consum-l ers to maintain an uninterrupted gas supply ” He said an overseas consul- 1

tant had reported that the New Zealand coal being used by the company was of a particularly poor grade. The consultant had said that a five-ton retort was needed to produce the gas that should be available from a three-ton retort. Mr Worley said the mixture of Maramarua and West Coast coal used in gas-mak-ing had adversely affected the company’s retorts, in which the coal was cooked. Because of this, the com■pany would have to rebuild 1 10 retorts over the next 18 (months and only the Newcastle coal would allow gas production to be kept up Iwhile this was done.

The company had met the same problem in 1960-61 and had had to rebuild all of its retorts Because of the quality of local coal, these were showing after two years and a half, deterioration which should have occurred in not less than seven years.