Rio Tinto said it has completed a successful trial of biofuel across its network of Western Australian ports, railways and mines.
The four-week trial, a first for the miner in Australia, was conducted in partnership with global renewable diesel producer Neste and Australian fuel supplier Viva Energy. It provided Rio Tinto with a greater understanding of how renewable diesel could be integrated across its Pilbara operations in the future.
“Diesel makes up about 70% 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 Rail, Port and Core Services Richard Cohen said.
“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.”
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% 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.
The trial builds on the successful transition at Rio Tinto’s Boron and Kennecott operations in the U.S., where 11% of its total global fossil diesel consumption has been replaced with renewable diesel.
Source: Rio Tinto