Diesel storage welcome but represents a small drop

The Shadow Minister for Energy Dr Steve Thomas has welcomed the announcement of the storage of at least 4 million litres of diesel as a strategic reserve for Western Australia but says that this represents a tiny proportion of demand.

“Western Australia needs a reliable fuel supply, and we should be looking at the potential of additional storage” Dr Thomas said.

“While any increase in strategic fuel reserves is welcome, today’s announcement by the Government of an additional 4 million litres of stored diesel highlights the extent of the problem.

“Western Australia consumes around 6 billion litres of diesels every year, mostly in the transport, mining and agriculture sectors.

“The equates to an average daily consumption of 16.4 million litres.

“The storage of 4 million litres of diesel sounds significant but represents six hours of average consumption.

“Extending the storage to 12 million litres of diesel would equate to 18 hours of average demand.

“While I welcome today’s announcement, it highlights the scale of the problem.

“Storing significant amounts of fuel is a long term and very expensive exercise.

“This means that getting the fuel supply chain moving again remains critical for the fuel security of Western Australia” Dr Thomas said.