Ampol and ENEOS, two major players in the energy industry, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the production of advanced biofuels in Australia.
The project aims to build an advanced biofuels manufacturing facility at the Lytton refinery in Brisbane with the capacity to produce up to 500 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel annually.
The two companies have also signed a separate MoU with the Queensland Government to discuss investment and project development as part of the Queensland Biofutures 10-Year Roadmap.
Matt Halliday, CEO of Ampol, said the project is part of their commitment to supporting the development of a biofuels value chain in Australia and to partnering with like-minded organisations to help drive innovation in future energy.
“Biofuels and synthetic fuels have an important role to play in energy transition, particularly in hard to abate areas such as aviation, and heavy industrial sectors like mining. These are important market segments for Ampol.
“As we continue our work to build new solutions for customers, we are excited to partner with a global leader like ENEOS to further assess opportunities to repurpose our existing infrastructure and build new supply chains.”
Saito Takeshi, Representative Director, President at ENEOS, said they look forward to decarbonising the aviation industry in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia and Japan, through the realisation of value chains and stable supply of biofuels, especially SAF.
“Integrated supply chains – from feedstocks to manufacturing and distribution infrastructure – will be critical to the development of a successful and sustainable biofuels industry.
“Queensland is uniquely positioned given the availability of high-quality feedstocks from established industries. In addition, the location of Ampol’s manufacturing and distribution assets provides a great platform from which to explore SAF production.”
The project will include exploring potential counterparties in Queensland to provide feedstock and demand for product offtake. Ampol and ENEOS will also work with the Queensland Government as part of its strategy to attract clean energy investment.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the project was another exciting step towards Queensland becoming a clean energy powerhouse.
“Queensland’s Energy and Jobs plan sets out our path to a low emissions future. As part of decarbonisation, the Government is working to set Queensland up as the leading location for the production of green jet fuels. We know the world is moving into a low emissions future and there has been a significant increase in demand for low carbon aviation fuel.”
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