Visiting energy expert sees big potential

Press, 12 August 1980, Page 26

Visiting energy expert sees big potential

New Zealand’s. experience with beer fermentation processes and dairy treatment equipment could be useful for future development of fuel-alcohol production, according to a visiting Brazilian energy expert, Dr Jose Vargan. Dr Vargan has, at the invitation of the New Zealand Government, spent a week visiting Government and industry officials throughout New Zealand, discussing the Brazilian alternative fuels programme, He visited Lincoln College and the University of Canterbury chemical engineering department, Brazil’s eight million cars are running on a pet-rol-alcohol blend, containing up to 20 per cent ethanol. More, than 50,000

cars run on pure alcohol and this figure is expected to reach 300,000 by the end of the year. The Brazilian Government’s target is to. have 1.7 million cars running on pure alcohol by 1985. Dr Vargan has discussed with the Minister of Energy (Mr Birch) and the Under-Secretary for Agriculture (Mr Talbot) Government incentives for fuel-alcohol producers,

The Brazilian Government guarantees that the price of fuel-alcohol to the consumer will be no more than 65 per cent of the cost of petrol. Petrol costs about the same in Brazil as in New Zealand.

The crop New Zealand intends for fuel-alcohol production, sugar beet, is not used in Brazil, which

uses mostly sugar cane. Dr Vargan was impressed with the predicted productivity from New Zealand sugar beet — 5000 litres per hectare per year. He said fuel alcohol could in the long term play a role in New Zealand’s energy requirements, but in the short term it was sensible to use fully, the country’s “ample potential” for natural gas. Mr Birch welcomed the visit of Dr Vargan. He said the Government was keen for an exchange of information on energy technology. “Brazilian developments are invaluable, to New Zealand because many of the problems we encounter have already been resolved by Brazilian technology," Mr Birch’ said.