Viva Energy has revealed it has worked with Rio Tinto at the latter’s Pilbara iron ore operations to complete a first renewable diesel trial.
The successful use of biofuel across Rio Tinto’s Western Australian ports, railways and mines is the first of its kind for Rio Tinto in Australia.
The trial was conducted in partnership with leading global renewable diesel producer Neste and Australian fuel supplier Viva Energy.
Neste allocated 10 million litres of renewable diesel from used cooking oil for the trial. The fuel was shipped from Singapore to Rio Tinto’s Parker Point fuel terminal in Dampier by Viva Energy and blended portside with fossil diesel to create a mix with about 20 per cent renewable diesel. It was then distributed across Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore operations for use in rail, marine, blasting, haul trucks, surface mining equipment and light vehicles.
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The four-week trial in January and February 2025 provided an understanding of how renewable diesel use could be scaled up across Rio Tinto’s Australian operations in the future, giving key insights into the bulk renewable diesel supply chain, importation and blending processes. It also reduced Rio Tinto’s Scope 1 emissions by about 27,000 tonnes of direct greenhouse gas emissions, which is as much as the tailpipe emissions from 6,3002 cars for a year.
“Diesel makes up about 70 per cent of the total carbon emissions from our Pilbara iron ore operations. While electrification is the ultimate longer-term solution for repowering the majority of our fleet, we’re also exploring biofuels as a complementary and nearer-term solution,” Rio Tinto managing director of rail, port and core services Richard Cohen says.
“Through this trial with Neste and Viva Energy, we’ve gained valuable insights into how renewable diesel can help bridge the gap to widespread electrification as well as for circumstances where electrification may not be suitable.”
Viva Energy chief strategy officer Lachlan Pfeiffer says drop-in biofuels like renewable diesel are “important tools” in the energy transition, helping companies reduce emissions without having to replace equipment and infrastructure.
Viva Energy Chief Strategy Officer Lachlan Pfeiffer said: “Drop-in biofuels like renewable diesel are important tools in the energy transition – they help companies reduce emissions without the cost of replacing equipment and infrastructure.
“This trial effectively demonstrated the critical role renewable diesel is going to play in reducing the carbon footprint of Australia’s heavy industry,” Pfeiffer says.
“Viva Energy is working alongside key partners like Rio Tinto to help them to identify the right low-carbon solution to meet their specific business needs.”
This trial builds on the successful transition at the company’s Boron and Kennecott operations in the US, where 11 per cent of its total global fossil diesel consumption has been replaced with renewable diesel.
Rio Tinto is also developing a Pongamia seed farm in North Queensland as part of a biofuels pilot to contribute to the growth of the Australian biofuels industry.
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