Project will help C.N.G. plan — Minister

Press, 19 January 1985, Page 12

Project will help C.N.G. plan — Minister

New Zealand’s compressed natural gas development programme would be helped by a project which had used New Zealand technology to power Thailand buses with C.N.G., said the Minister of Energy, Mr Tizard.

The project involves converting about 10 Bangkok buses from diesel to C.N.G. The equipment was made in New Zealand and the conversion work done by New Zealand engineers. Funding of $500,000 from New Zealand’s aid programme was going towards the project. The converted buses would be monitored for six months and the results would help New Zealand's C.N.G. development, Mr Tizard said.

“If the present trials are successful the Bangkok bus

authority intends to convert most of its buses to C.N.G.,” Mr Tizard said. “This will Evide further opportunifor the export of New Zealand C.N.G. equipment and expertise. “I expect the results of the Bangkok project to help our own programme, which is still at an early stage of commercial development. “There is great scope in New Zealand for the conversion of diesel vehicles to C.N.G. and I want to see our own transport operators take advantage of this cheaper, indigenous fuel.” Thailand and New Zealand had large gas resources but limited oil deposits. Using C.N.G. instead of diesel to power bus fleets would cut oil imports and reduce pollution, Mr Tizard said.