Rio Tinto has successfully tested renewable diesel for the first time in its Pilbara iron ore operations. The trial, which took place across the company’s ports, railways, and mines in Western Australia, was a significant step in exploring biofuels as part of its sustainability efforts.
This pilot project, the first of its kind for Rio Tinto in Australia, was conducted in partnership with renewable diesel producer Neste and Australian fuel supplier Viva Energy. The trial helped the company understand how renewable diesel could be integrated into its operations in the Pilbara region.
Neste provided 10 million litres of renewable diesel, made from used cooking oil, for the trial. The fuel was shipped from Singapore to Rio Tinto’s Parker Point terminal in Dampier, where it was mixed with fossil diesel to create a blend containing about 20% renewable diesel. This fuel mix was then used across Rio Tinto’s Pilbara operations, powering rail, marine vessels, haul trucks, mining equipment, and light vehicles.
The four-week trial, which ran from January to February 2025, gave Rio Tinto valuable insights into scaling up renewable diesel use in the future. It also highlighted the logistics involved in supplying and blending renewable diesel, and helped reduce the company’s Scope 1 emissions by approximately 27,000 tonnes of direct greenhouse gas emissions.
Richard Cohen, Rio Tinto’s Managing Director of Rail, Port, and Core Services, said, “Diesel accounts for about 70% of the total carbon emissions from our Pilbara operations. Electrification is our long-term goal, but biofuels can provide a shorter-term solution. This trial has given us important information on how renewable diesel could support electrification and be used where electrification may not be feasible.”
Neste’s Head of Commercial APAC Renewable Products, Ee Pin Lee, noted, “Neste MY Renewable Diesel is an effective solution for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This trial in Australia, following our success in the US, shows our commitment to supporting customers and demonstrates renewable diesel’s versatility across different applications.”
Lachlan Pfeiffer, Chief Strategy Officer at Viva Energy, added, “Renewable diesel is a vital tool in the energy transition. It allows companies to reduce emissions without the high costs of replacing equipment. This trial shows how renewable diesel can help reduce the carbon footprint of heavy industries in Australia.”
The trial aligns with Rio Tinto’s ongoing efforts to meet its emission reduction goals: a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. It builds on similar initiatives at the company’s Boron and Kennecott operations in the US, where renewable diesel replaced 11% of their global fossil diesel use.
Additionally, Rio Tinto is developing a Pongamia seed farm in North Queensland as part of a biofuels pilot aimed at supporting Australia’s biofuels industry.
The trial’s sustainability certification was provided by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) scheme, in line with Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) requirements. The mass balance approach, a chain of custody model, tracked the sustainability of materials like used cooking oil throughout the renewable diesel supply chain.
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