Rio Tinto conducts first renewable diesel trial across Pilbara iron ore operations

The trial, the first of its kind for Rio Tinto in Australia, was conducted in partnership with Finland-headed global renewable diesel producer Neste Oyi and Australian fuel supplier Viva Energy.

Neste allocated 10 million litres of renewable diesel derived from used cooking oil (UCO) for the trial.

The sustainability certification for this trial was provided by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) scheme according to the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) requirements, using a mass balance approach.

Neste MY Renewable Diesel is a readily available solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Building on the successful partnership in the US, the agreement in Australia reinforces our commitment to support our customers and demonstrates the capabilities of renewable diesel across a wide range of applications. This milestone signifies the continuous collaboration with Rio Tinto and we look forward to further expanding our cooperation, said Ee Pin Lee, Head of Commercial APAC Renewable Products at Neste.

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 percent 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.

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. Viva Energy is working alongside key partners like Rio Tinto to help them identify the right low-carbon solution to meet their specific business needs, said Lachlan Pfeiffer, Chief Strategy Officer at Viva Energy.

Four-week trial

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.

The trial also reduced Rio Tinto’s Scope 1 emissions by about 27,000 tonnes of direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Diesel makes up about 70 percent 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. 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, said Richard Cohen, Managing Director Rail, Port and Core Services at Rio Tinto.

Rio Tinto is actively exploring the potential of biofuels as part of its ongoing efforts to achieve its Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction targets of 50 percent by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

This trial builds on the successful transition at the company’s Boron and Kennecott operations in the United States, where 11 percent 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 (QLD) as part of a biofuels pilot to contribute to the growth of the Australian biofuels industry.