Viva Energy and Cleanaway (Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd) are pleased to announce they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a significant step towards the manufacture of low-carbon liquid fuels and products in Australia.
The MoU would see large quantities of domestic used cooking oil (UCO) delivered to Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery to produce advanced fuels like a renewable diesel (RD) blend and products such as a bio-circular polymer. The agreement aims to establish an ongoing supply of UCO from Cleanaway’s Laverton used cooking oil treatment facility, highlighting the potential for local waste to become a valuable resource for communities and the national economy.
Viva Energy has been running a successful pilot program at its Geelong refinery demonstrating co-processing which involves UCO being processed in commercial quantities alongside crude oil in the refinery and transformed into high-value products. The UCO for the trials has been sourced from Cleanaway’s facilities where the oil is purified into a ready-to-use feedstock for the refinery, By scaling up local supply and using it in the refinery, the loop will be closed between waste generation, resource recovery and re-use.
By transforming used cooking oil into sustainable fuels and materials, Viva Energy and Cleanaway are demonstrating a practical pathway to help customers who are looking to reduce their Scope 1 emisisons by using products such as renewable diesel, including Cleanaway who operates more than 4,100 heavy vehicles that provide essential waste management services to the community. It also supports local jobs, underpins Australian industry and reduces reliance on imported feedstocks and materials.
Co-processing can support the government’s desire to promote production and use of low carbon liquid fuels (LCLF) through the Future Made in Australia program and recently released Net Zero Plan and Transport Sector Plan. The Transport Sector Plan highlighted that LCLFs can play a key role in reducing emissions from the nation’s hard-to-abate sectors, including heavy transport and support the country’s 2035 emissions reduction targets.
Co-processing is a proven technology with almost 40 refineries around the world adopting this as a way to produce lower carbon fuels. Formal recognition by the Australian government of the emissions savings resulting from the use of lower carbon fuels made via the co-processing of waste and biogenic feedstocks is required for customers to be able to report the emission reduction benefits in their reporting under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme (NGERS).
Lachlan Pfeiffer, Viva Energy’s Chief Strategy Officer, said the evolution of sustainable energy solutions in Australia depends on not just technological innovation and company investment, but also on the development of supportive government policies which can stimulate supply and demand of new lower-carbon products.
“Australia has the expertise, technology, and local supply chains to adopt an important role in sustainable energy and circular manufacturing,” he said. “Official recognition and support for co-processing in NGERs and the Guarantee of Origin Scheme would provide the necessary support for investment in local recycling, clean fuel production, and job creation, helping Australia retain and indeed build its sovereign manufacturing capability. Cleanaway’s Executive General Manager Strategy and M&A, Frank Lintvelt, highlighted the opportunities that could be unlocked through this initiative. “By recognising co-processing, we can convert waste into valuable products and build the foundations of a prosperous, low-carbon liquid fuel industry in Australia to decarbonise hard-to-abate transport sectors. We look forward to working closely with government to help shape policies that support these shared goals and inspire a new generation of sustainable solutions.”
Viva Energy Media Enquiries
Michael Cave
T: +61 409 647 910
E: michael.cave@vivaenergy.com.au
Cleanaway Media Enquiries
Mark Biddulph
T: +61 499 332 601
E: mark.biddulph@cleanaway.com.au
About Viva Energy
Viva Energy (ASX: VEA) is a leading convenience retailer, commercial services and energy infrastructure business, with a history spanning more than 120 years in Australia. The Group operates a convenience and fuel network of almost 900 stores across Australia and supplies fuels and lubricants to a total network of nearly 1,500 service stations. Viva Energy owns and operates the strategically located Geelong Refinery in Victoria, and operates bulk fuels, aviation, bitumen, marine, chemicals, polymers and lubricants businesses supported by more than 20 terminals and about 80 airports and airfields across the country. www.vivaenergy.com.au
About Cleanaway
Cleanaway Waste Management Limited is Australia’s leading sustainable waste management, industrial and environmental services company. Our team of over 10,000 professionals operates across more than 350 locations in Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. We manage Australia’s largest waste and industrial services fleet, with over 6,400 vehicles, and are supported by an extensive network of recycling facilities, transfer stations, engineered landfills, liquid treatment plants and refineries. Alongside our customers, communities, governments, regulators and industry partners, we are committed to delivering on our purpose: making a sustainable future possible together.