This week Viva Energy began to take delivery of key elements for its new ultra-low sulphur gasoline (ULSG) plant as Geelong Refinery undergoes its biggest upgrade in decades.
A $350 million investment in Australian manufacturing, including a $125 million contribution from the Australian Government, will allow the refinery to produce the cleanest petrol ever made in Australia said the energy company.
Viva Energy, in a media release issued today, said these sulphur reductions in petrol more closely aligned Australia’s fuel quality with international standards, allowing for more fuel-efficient vehicles to come here, and providing Australians with health, environmental and economic benefits.
The units delivered this week are up to 28 metres tall, with the largest weighing nearly 900 tonnes. They were delivered by ship and arrived at Lascelles Wharf on Tuesday.
Over several days, the units will be transported by barge from Lascelles Wharf to a landing ramp next to Refinery Jetty before being transported by SPMT (Self-Propelled Modular Transport) units to their final location near the refinery flare.
The largest unit, a 900-tonne production module, will be delivered on Wednesday 4 December.
Completion of the ULSG plant is planned for the second half of 2025, in time to meet the new petrol standards that take effect from 15 December.
This refinery upgrade is part of a pipeline of significant projects that Viva Energy is delivering in Geelong.
In October, Viva Energy commissioned three 30 million-litre diesel storage tanks to help deliver fuel security in Australia.
Early next year it will commission a renewable hydrogen refuelling station as part of the Viva Energy Hub.
Viva Energy is also investigating processing alternative feedstocks in the refinery such as used cooking oil, canola and tallow, which could see it producing lower carbon fuels in support of the government’s Future Made in Australia program.
The refinery’s critical infrastructure could also provide a circular pathway to recycle waste soft plastics which could be processed through the refinery and adjacent polypropylene plant.
These projects all form part of the Viva Energy Hub, which the company is confident will play an important role in delivering cleaner fuels, supporting the nation’s fuel security, participating in the circular economy and preserving Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capability.
The ULSG plant will produce the cleanest petrol ever manufactured in Australia, with sulphur content of less than 10 parts per million claimed Viva Energy.
The $350m project is part of the Fuel Security Package.
Viva Energy noted that $200 million of the entire budget is going into Australian procurement and construction contracts, with the majority of that going to businesses in the Geelong region.
Up to 300 people will be employed during the peak of construction activity.
