Martin Ferguson
Minister for Resources and Energy
Minister for Tourism
Senator Kim Carr
Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
The $5 million Synfuel and Catalysis Research Facility (Syncat), Australia’s first synthetic fuels facility, has been launched today in Perth. The facility is a public private partnership housed at the Australian Resources Research Centre in Western Australia's Technology Park.
Representing Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr at the launch Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP said the facility is part of the Government’s commitment to enhance Australia’s energy security.
“We have a growing trade deficit in crude oil and refined products. At the same time we are seeking new ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” Minister Ferguson said.
“Synthetic fuels and research into new gas-to liquid technologies have the potential to both lessen our dependence on imports and provide a cleaner burning transport fuel alternative.
“For the first time, Australia has a fully-automated, around-the-clock, synthetic fuels research facility.
“Testing and research at this facility could help us maximise the potential from our abundant gas resources, including the conversion of both on and offshore resources that were previously considered to be uneconomical.”
The Syncat facility is part of the CSIRO’s Gas Processing and Conversion research program, which is looking for ways to make synthetic fuel from non-oil or non-conventional feedstocks. It will produce synfuels from a range of feedstocks including natural gas, coal, hydrogen and biomass. It can run by itself for months at a time and the two reactor rigs can test at temperatures of up to 450 degrees.
Congratulating CSIRO on the new facility Senator Carr emphasised the economic benefits that could flow to industry from this research.
“Syncat is a great example of government working with industry to turn world-class research into tangible outcomes,” Senator Carr said.
“Public private partnerships – like this one – are vital. They are one of the drivers of the Australian Government’s broader agenda to raise productivity.
“Australia’s first synthetic fuels facility holds great promise. Among the many benefits of Syncat, we’ll be making new products more commercially-viable by reducing investment costs.
“The Government recognises the outstanding value of the CSIRO’s work and that’s why we have provided it with record funding of $3 billion over four years in the 2011-12 Budget to support new research and development.”
SynCat will build on existing partnerships with major industry partners and create a research environment to further develop and advance renewable energy technologies.
The Government’s action to price carbon will create greater market opportunities for lower emissions fuels and the work undertaken at SynCat could deliver the technological solutions needed to capitalise on this potential.
The CSIRO’s research, including the work to be undertaken at SynCat fits with the Government’s broader strategic to examine barriers to the development and uptake of alternative transport fuels in partnership with industry as we develop the Alternative Transport Fuels Strategy.
Further information on the SynCat facility is available at www.csiro.au/places/SynCat