She’ll be steaming for years to come, but powered by something else.
As the ‘Lady of the Lake’ is readied for her 110th birthday this coming Tuesday, owner RealNZ is continuing to investigate alternative fuel sources, and has narrowed the options down to three.
A year ago, the company announced it would look into decarbonisation opt ions for the TSS Earnslaw, due to the environmental implications of continuing to power the twin-screw steamer (TSS) with coal, and the need for the original boilers to be replaced in the coming years.
CEO Stephen England-Hall says RealNZ’s committed to keeping the Earnslaw as a steam-powered ship, and retaining the TSS classification, but changing the fuel source to either wood pellets, biofuel (diesel or gas) or hydrogen.
While there’s an established supply chain for wood pellets in New Zealand, as yet there are no commercially-established supply chain options for biofuels or hydrogen.
Because it’s expected that’ll change in future, the options remain on the table, he says.
Once RealNZ settles on the alternative fuel, the engineering team will work through the detail of the preferred solution, and timing for the change.
‘‘We’re incredibly excited to have three alternative fuel solutions for the Lady of the Lake,’’ England-Hall says.
‘‘But this is where much of the real work begins, especially when it comes to the confidence of supply of these cleaner fuel sources in NZ.
“Our team is having some frank conversations with various stakeholders – these are solutions that we must work on together as a region and a country so we can all move towards a more sustainable future.’’
Meantime, the Earnslaw will celebrate the anniversary of her maiden voyage on Lake Whakatipu this coming Tuesday with a special morning cruise carrying some of her big gest supporters, while RealNZ will plant a native tree at Walter Peak for every guest who takes a ride with her between Monday and next Sunday.
