05/04/2005 - Minister
for the Environment and Heritage, Senator
Ian Campbell, today launched a world-first,
dual fuel, Caterpillar C15 engine with natural
gas truck engine manufacturer, Clean Air Power.
Senator Campbell said the new heavy-duty engine,
which runs on liquefied natural gas, would
mean an eight per cent reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions.
American company Clean Air Power developed
the engine, with the help of $100,000 from
the Australian Government, specifically for
Australian conditions to power our road trains.
"This engine was developed to generate
power, not pollution," Senator Campbell
said.
"With Australia's vast area, our extensive
road network is a cost-effective methods for
moving goods around the country - but this
should not come at the expense of the environment.
"The new technology used in this engine
is a world first. Not only is it a cleaner
and quieter engine, it will save eight per
cent in greenhouse gas emissions and provide
air quality advantages over an equivalent
diesel engine," he said.
Transport accounts for about 79 million tonnes
of greenhouse emissions in Australia each
year, which is about 14 per cent of Australia's
total emissions.
Senator Campbell said the volume of Australia's
interstate road freight was projected to triple
between 2000 and 2020 and that managing emissions
from the transport sector was one of the significant
challenges Australia faced.
Today's launch follows collaboration between
several companies in Australia and the United
States - Clean Air Power, Caterpillar, Westrac,
Wesfarmers-Kleenheat and Sands Fridge Lines
along with support from the Australian Government's
Alternative Fuels Conversion Programme.
"The innovation of these organisations
demonstrates that there are economically viable
approaches to reducing emissions," he
said.
"It's a great success story for Australian
and American technology partnerships.
"The road ahead for the heavy duty transport
sector is looking cleaner and sounding quieter."
