bp’s Kwinana refinery is pioneering the company’s expansion of its biofuels sector as Western Australian (WA) Deputy Premier Roger Cook marks the start of its transition into one of the region’s sustainable fuel hubs.
Kwinana is one of the five biofuel projects planned by bp around the world.
By 2030, these initiatives are planned to produce roughly 50,000 barrels of sustainable aviation fuel, and HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, often known as renewable diesel).
Subject to regulatory and State Government approvals, the Kwinana Renewable Fuels project will repurpose existing refining infrastructure to manufacture drop-in fuel products that have the potential to enable the decarbonisation of aviation and heavy industries over time.
“I welcome this latest milestone as bp begins the transformation of its Kwinana infrastructure into a renewables hub,” Premier Mark McGowan said.
Premier McGowan stated that the transformational project, one of only five in the world, demonstrates that WA remains an outstanding place for investment and enterprise.
“Initiatives like this bring significant benefits to our State, boost our strong economy and ensure we have a long line of local jobs and work for local businesses into the future,” the Premier added.
Minister Cook said it is tremendously encouraging to see the facility reborn as a green energy powerhouse.
“Not only will this create jobs, but it will create jobs for the future as WA plays a leading role in the global shift to renewable energy,” Minister Cook added.
By 2026, the biorefinery is expected to produce SAF and biodiesel from bio feedstocks. It will also work in tandem with the site’s current import terminal operations and ambitions for green hydrogen production, which are now being evaluated in a feasibility study.
“Kwinana illustrates the power of the Australian economy and its ability to reinvent itself for the energy transition. This project is the first of its kind globally for bp and a first for Australia. It recognises the importance of our Kwinana site and Western Australia in the energy transition, so we’re thrilled to say bp is progressing with engineering plans for Kwinana,” Frédéric Baudry, president, bp Australia and SVP fuels & low carbon solutions, Asia Pacific said.
Baudry stated that bp had created global biogas and biofuel businesses that are well-positioned in an increasingly favourable climate of rapidly increasing demand.
“We plan to integrate the sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel with our current terminal operations, and our future potential green hydrogen project – H2Kwinana,” Baudry added.
According to bp, it sees clear potential to use its customer base and portfolio of assets as the globe looks for lower carbon fuels, with bioenergy serving as one of bp’s transition growth engines. This covers biofuels, environmentally friendly aviation fuel, and biogas.
