Canberra Times (Australasia): Shell adds ethanol for a top mix: “Chairman Tim Warren said Shell was proud to be supporting Australian ethanol manufacturers and contributing to the Federal Government's biofuels targets.”: Friday November 25, 2005

Shell's new range-topping 100-octane petrol will be extremely pleasing for the Federal Government. The reason is that the new super-premium fuel - Optimax Extreme - contains 5 per cent ethanol.

Optimax Supreme is the world's first super-high octane fuel with a minimum octane rating of 100 to be successfully formulated with 5 per cent ethanol. This is the highest currently available at any Australian service-station pump scientifically formulated with ethanol. Chairman Tim Warren said Shell was proud to be supporting Australian ethanol manufacturers and contributing to the Federal Government's biofuels targets. ''Through the formulation with ethanol, Optimax Extreme has a substantially lower sulphur and benzene content than the maximum levels set under the Federal Government's fuel quality standards,'' he said.

Ethanol is also a cleaner burning, renewable fuel component that can help reduce greenhouse- gas emissions.

Optimax Supreme's 100 octane rating is just ahead of standard Optimax's 98 rating. The new fuel was formulated in Australia and it will be produced at Shell's Geelong refinery. The fuel formulation uses 5 per cent ethanol as an octane- boosting, cleaner-burning component and Optimax Supreme is designed specifically to deliver a higher level of engine responsiveness, sharper acceleration and enhanced power in many modern and high-performance cars. It also has the same engine- cleaning qualities as standard Optimax. Shell has more than 25 years' experience world-wide successfully formulating and testing ethanol-based fuels and the release of Optimax Extreme follows extensive testing in Shell's laboratory in Britain and in Australia by industry experts, including MoTeC and Dick Johnson Racing.

Major Australian car makers also have recently endorsed the use of up to 10 per cent ethanol- blended fuel in their new vehicles.

Optimax Extreme will be available at selected Shell Coles Express service stations in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Shell recommends that customers should follow their manufacturer's recommendations when considering whether to use ethanol fuels in their vehicles.

For technical information and service-station locations, visit www.shell.com.au/extreme

or call 1300134205.

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