Australia's fuel stockpile low, 20 days of petrol in reserve.

Bill M · 09-05-2018, 06:50 PM

Quote:

"Singapore provides us with most our refined petroleum and, in turn, relies on the Middle East for more than 80 per cent of its crude oil supply"

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-0...curity/9742340

**DJR-351** · 09-05-2018, 06:59 PM

On going conversation on the subject here, post #627 on wards....

https://www.fordforums.com.au/showth...225662&page=21

mike_nofx · 09-05-2018, 09:23 PM

In a situation where we are only able to access our stockpile - that is, a world war - then I doubt we’d all be driving to work and on Sunday drives. We’d have bigger issues I believe.

malazn mafia · 09-05-2018, 09:30 PM

Shocking, this is third-world country level material. Time for Australia to be reclassified ?

Bill M · 09-05-2018, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Government stock is held exclusively for emergency purposes. Legislative mandates for emergency government stock exist in New Zealand and the United States. But Australia has no legislation that requires the government to maintain an emergency fuel stockpile.

A snip from the article. I find this situation ludicrous, yes third world standard. At least the Minister has ordered a review but it will take years to get to an acceptable standard. So much for good governance.

malazn mafia · 10-05-2018, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill M

A snip from the article. I find this situation ludicrous, yes third world standard. At least the Minister has ordered a review but it will take years to get to an acceptable standard. So much for good governance.

Imagine the severe repercussions we would have , resulting from whatever catastrophe or weather event overseas down the supply chain... why can’t Australia become an LPG nation, we have oodles of that good stuff.

mike_nofx · 10-05-2018, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Imagine the severe repercussions we would have , resulting from whatever catastrophe or weather event overseas down the supply chain... why can’t Australia become an LPG nation, we have oodles of that good stuff.

Isn’t it natural gas we have oodles of? I thought lpg was just a byproduct of producing petrol?

arronm · 10-05-2018, 03:50 AM

Not for me. BP refine it 20 mins from my house.

Trevor 57 · 10-05-2018, 06:07 AM

there is plenty of crude out in outback Aussie, it is just newer oil, I know for a fact that trucks have run on it straight out of the ground - there is plenty of oil for the diesel powered emergency vehicles

**Burnout** · 10-05-2018, 08:03 AM

We used to have a 'Strategic Reserve' of fuels.

Howard Govt got rid of it.

**FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0** · 10-05-2018, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

In a situation where we are only able to access our stockpile - that is, a world war - then I doubt we’d all be driving to work and on Sunday drives. We’d have bigger issues I believe.

War is not the only situation where the stockpile would need to be accessed.

In the other thread, I made comment about a friend of mine who attended a Defence strategic planning session in Canberra a few weeks back, and at that gathering they were advised by a leading expert on the issue that the stockpiles had already been accessed as a result of the two consecutive cyclones up north impacting upon supply chain. It was only luck that the third cyclone that had developed did not impact upon the supply route, otherwise rationing would have been implemented.

Sprintey · 10-05-2018, 05:01 PM

In a historic context it is extraordinary that Australia has disposed of its refining capacity and trusts the straits of Malacca to remain open indefinitely. Note the militarisation of the South China Sea.

This is a topic we've kept coming back to in these forums.

Solutions:
VE2 to VF MY14 Commodores will run E85. As will some Captivas of similar era. Tuning will take them to E100. Most E85 in the country is produced via our sugar cane industry, so it's a domestic supply. We have ethanol production facilities here in small scale. The fuel itself has extra octane compared to 91, achieved without having to add so many nasties to petrol fuel, eg benzene.
The Aussie Ford 6 can be converted to E85 or E100. As these fuels have fewer carbons in the chain, they will burn cleaner. As we know the inline 6 is good for 500,000km or so, it will last considerably longer on ethanol.

Has anyone in the technical sections of these forums started a thread on E100 conversion for the I6?

It might be a useful topic given the supply background of Australia's fuel reserves.

**DJR-351** · 10-05-2018, 05:21 PM

If anyone is really interested try wading through the below parts 1 & 2....

http://crudeoilpeak.info/australian-...ntinues-part-1

http://crudeoilpeak.info/will-austra...oo-late-part-2

....pretty heavy going.

Sprintey · 10-05-2018, 05:23 PM

For the essential diesel truck fleet:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisc...ropsch_process

I hear there's quite a bit of coal in Gippsland we're not using at present...

Maka · 10-05-2018, 05:44 PM

We absolutely shouldn't be in this situation in the first place, it stinks bad..

cheers, Maka

Sprintey · 10-05-2018, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJR-351

If anyone is really interested try wading through the below parts 1 & 2....

http://crudeoilpeak.info/australian-...ntinues-part-1

http://crudeoilpeak.info/will-austra...oo-late-part-2

....pretty heavy going.

DJR that was sobering, particularly the second part. So to raise Australia's reserves to the IEA 90 day requirement, we are 'purchasing tickets' (like buying call options - you pay a premium to have the right but not obligation to take delivery of a certain amount of something on or before a certain date). Before physically building any extra supply. That is all fine, we don't need to build the (substantial) infrastructure to physically hold the oil we are required to, we can rely on others to be able to supply us in... a... crisis. Cos we have tickets.

Oh man. Tickets won't burn in an engine in a shortage/crisis.

That said, the government of Mexico was successful in purchasing corn futures (options? or just the futures, I can't remember) to hedge their population's food costs when corn exploded in the last decade, so maybe the people setting these things up will end up being justified.

Next point, if you are an oil man (family members were in our case), the 'Export Land Model':

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_Land_Model

tldr: peaking production + increase in a nation's domestic consumption, if occurring at the same time, = that country is no longer an oil exporter, pronto.

The chart of Australia's modeled consumption and its declining production was scary, as actual volumes are following the model closely.

mick taylor · 13-05-2018, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lever T

there is plenty of crude out in outback Aussie, it is just newer oil, I know for a fact that trucks have run on it straight out of the ground - there is plenty of oil for the diesel powered emergency vehicles

Australia's crude oil is a light thin type no good for roads or engine oil, but some could be used to sort of run in cars with like only 5.0:1 compression back in the days they first found it out back QLD it has been said.

Don't think it will run in modern diesels at all.

Plenty crude oil everywhere I have seen in Australia it's just that it cost to much to bother with to use it so they are caped off.

We use to make Standard petrol 89 octane out near Moonie QLD but not 97 Super back in the 60's and 70's.

OzJavelin · 14-05-2018, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mick taylor

Australia's crude oil is a light thin type no good for roads or engine oil, but some could be used to sort of run in cars with like only 5.0:1 compression back in the days they first found it out back QLD it has been said.

Cool .. looks like I need convince my wife to let me buy a '32 Ford roadster with flathead V8