Speaking of sovereign capability, there’s great news to report. The Crisafulli Government is strengthening Queensland’s fuel security with a $25 million investment and streamlined approvals, to develop renewable diesel at Ampol’s Lytton refinery.
The funding partnership will support the modification of Ampol’s existing plant to co-process conventional diesel, with biogenic feedstocks such as waste and plant oils and animal fats, to produce renewable fuel that can be used in any existing diesel engine.
Once complete, the project will enable the first sustainable domestic production of second-generation low carbon liquid fuels in Australia. The investment is restoring Queensland’s ability to drill, refine and store fuel locally.
Together with progressing oil production from the Taroom Trough, unlocking more refinery capability and boosting fuel storage, the Crisafulli Government is delivering short, medium and long-term measures to lock in fuel security for Queensland.
The project will initially be capable of producing up to 20 million litres of renewable diesel a year from 2028, processing 15-20 kilotons of feedstock per year.
This investment presents a pathway to unlock future project stages that could produce up to 750 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel by the early 2030’s.
The project also includes construction of a truck handling gantry, heated and insulated storage tanks with mixing/blending capability, a secondary tank containment system and system upgrades to process the feedstock.
Construction is expected to begin by mid-2027 and will create 46 new jobs, including 40 construction and 6 operational.
