Good morning people,

An hour ago I had a delivery of 200Lt drum of Methanol. My last purchase (5 months ago) was at $250.00 per drum. This delivery had a price increase to $260.00 per drum. The delivery guy from CALTEX was telling me that this price is the old price and it is believed that there is a govt hike (he says excise) imminent of 35 cents more per litre. Has anyone heard of this price hike. All he could tell me was that it will apply to all new deliveries, he is not absolutely sure about the figure but that is what is being said at the depot. Be interested if anyone else has heard of this. Could be a state govt venture??? My local MP Andrew Mc Namara (yes the chairman of the fuel committee for the State Govt) in a local paper column told us that fuel will in the very near future be $2.00 / litre - So, do not be surprised. These are interesting comments made just before the announcement that he was to chair the fuel investigating committee. I wonder if this is part of the softening up of their Psychic decision making, that is to prepare us for an already pre conceived decision. Maybe they will be taking away the fuel subsidy in Queensland. Who knows??
I have worked for various Govts for over 40 years, I dont like the feel of this at all. Then again I may be (well I know I am) becoming cynical in my old age Anyone in the know, or heard anything similar???

Dillyman

Hi Dilly,

yes I have heard this also. My understanding what that it was going from a current excise of 19 cents per litre up to 38 cents per litre. I did post some info about this a few weeks back but noone really took it up. I guess it will start filtering through now that we are in the new financial year.

Joe

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This is part of Costello's "level playing field" fuel excise bill passed in the senate just a week or so ago.
They made sure to vote when one of their own Barneby Joyce was in the toilet, as he wanted to cause the HooHaa of Crossing the floor.!
And sen. Lynn Allison stood totally alone. As sen. Bob Brown was up a tree with his head in a Hollow.And some old fart from Nationals got an amendment for rebates for Diesel Toorak Tractors.!!? ?!

Hi All
May be the time has come for all biodiesel producers like us to start recovering the methanol out of our reactions (ors) At 95% recovery the extra slug these guys are dishing out would mean very little to us
It is after all a by product of the refining of dino fuel just like the toluene that was for years excise free for paint manufacture until such time as the "Independent" fuel resellers started dilluting ULP with it so as to increase their profits
This is what I suspect has taken place with methanol therefore the excise
If sufficient interest is show here in the idea above via this forum I see no reason that we connot collectively design/produce a low cost condenser that can be used to achieve that
The price increase would then be almost irrelevant
Cheers
Chris

hi folks
checked methanol prices today at local mobil depot $230 for a 44 an increase of $10 from the last drum i got. Old mate told me that on the 1st July excise went up on solvents but not methanol. so I hope this clears up any misconceptions. See costello isn't so bad after all..... not.
cheers fantom.

Hi Fantom,

My understanding from the CALTEX group is that Methanol is in the Solvents group for pricing.
My last methanol drum I received 2 weeks ago had the $10 increase $260 instead of the earlier $250. It was on this delivery I was informed that Methanol was being classed as a Solvent at approx 35 cents increase in excise.

Who knows , ?????? I certainly don't. Perhaps it is wait and see
Dont be surprsied if they move the goalposts again.

Dillyman

hi dillyman
actually if ya do ya sumes a $10 increase on 200 litres is only 5cents per litre increase. the excise increase was for all petroleum based solvents and methanol is not a petroleum based solvent. i hope this has cleared up any misunderstanding of it. but it is worthwhile getting involved in methanol recovery, can cut the cost of production a bit. from 15 litres of glis i get about 4 litres of good quality methanol to use in the next batch

Fantom,

Thanks for that. The $10 increase was just a normal price hike. The extra is classed as excise and Caltex say, Methonol is to be classed as a Solvent. I might however look at some meth recovery if it doesnt take too much time. I want some life other than processing. Balance of time for me may be unacceptable.

Cheers

Dillyman

For what it is worth, I am picking up my methanol supplies at Racing Supplies (Whiteys Garage), Ph 98973148, Merrylands, Western Sydney. The cost last drum (June/July 06) was $205.00.

Cheers, Richard