Petrol sniffing & BP Opal fuel

This post is in response to the post on Pigs Will Fly regarding Opal fuel and the petrol sniffing issue and is a copy of my comment. For those who are unaware, Central Australia has a petrol sniffing problem amongst its indigenous communities. BP responded by producing Opal fuel, which doesn’t give sniffers the high associated with regular fuels. However there’s a resistance in the greater community to buying and using Opal. Myself included.

BP markets its BP Ultimate fuel using the following phrases:

Give your engine a power boost

BP Ultimate delivers power benefits compared to ordinary fuels

Upgrade your engine with BP Ultimate

Driving a vehicle fuelled with BP Ultimate can be like driving with a bigger engine ...

BP Ultimate can take you further

BP Ultimate can help you achieve extra kilometres per tankful

On the issue of extra mileage, on another page BP says the following:

BP Ultimate really can help you get more kilometres out of your tank than regular unleaded.

Independent tests in a range of vehicles have shown that using BP Ultimate can reduce fuel consumption by up to 5.8% compared to cars using regular unleaded. Some customers may achieve larger improvements.

Although the benefits of BP Ultimate can be achieved almost immediately, the full effects become evident after continuous use. More mileage is derived from a cleaner engine, higher octane and reduced engine friction. Mileage benefits can increase or decrease depending on driving style and distance travelled.

As far as BP Unleaded 95 fuel (formerly BP Premium) goes, BP states on its website that this fuel is “… seasonally blended to help cars start easily, and because of the higher energy content, gives the potential for a reduction in fuel consumption all year round.” [my italics]

Admittedly BP does state Unleaded 95 is “designed to bring high octane and knock free performance to unleaded vehicles with a high octane requirement.” [my emphasis].

It could be argued that my vehicle (Mitsubishi Magna) does not have a high octane requirement. However, BP markets the product in its service stations as being good or even better to use in my car than regular unleaded.

And, as a person who has constantly filled up with Premium (Unleaded 95) or Ultimate, I have to say these fuels do increase my mileage. And I am very pleased with this aspect. I’m also pleased with the fact that my engine runs cleaner. My mechanic thanks me for using the product, he believes the higher octane fuels are extending the life of my car. Great. Fantastic. And being unleaded, it’s doing a little bit for the environment too.

Now we come to the petrol sniffing issue and the roll out of Opal fuel in the NT.

I am glad to hear that BP is working on a premium grade of Opal. However, what is the timeline for this product? My local BP servo says it’ll be a long while yet.

I’ve read and understand BP’s guarantee that Opal will not harm my vehicle.

But what about the decreased mileage from using Opal after years of using BP’s own higher octane fuels? In this era of rapidly increasing fuel prices, using Opal means my fuel costs actually increase as I have to fill up more often.

Which brings us to the ethical debate about Opal and petrol sniffing. Should those of us living in Alice Springs change over to Opal permanently in order to do our bit to help reduce petrol sniffing in our wider community?

Honestly? Unless the government makes Opal mandatory for the NT and removes access to other fuels completely, then whilst I have the choice of fuels I will continue to buy Premium grade unleaded or Ultimate fuel for my car.

Would I be happy if the government made the NT “Opal only”? No, but I would accept the decision. And I can’t help but wonder why this decision is not being made if the petrol sniffing issue is so bad – how do the petrol companies feel about this idea? Or would they stand to lose money?

Presumably due to its proximity to the Aboriginal community of Mutijulu, the tourist village of Yulara down at the Rock is an Opal only village. Sort of.

If you’re a resident of the village (e.g. you work at the resort and live on-site) you can apply to have access to Premium unleaded fuel at the Mobil fuel station (the only fuel station in the village). Isn’t this a bit risky? The black market trade in petrol in some of the indigenous communities is said to be rife. I cannot comment on that, but it does not surprise me that such a trade exists.

If Opal is as good as BP says it is, why then does Mobil in Yulara allow residents special permission to buy Premium unleaded?

I am just seeking to understand. Has BP failed in its marketing to convince Mobil Yulara and the Stuart Highway roadhouses of Erldunda and Kulgera of the benefits and profitability of Opal? Or is it simply recognition that Opal may be considered by many to be an inferior product, good fuel perhaps, clean fuel, but the other fuel types are so much better?