Viva Energy Refining has secured a contract with the Department of Defence to deliver aviation, marine, and ground fuel to the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The six-year fuel supply contract, which includes another six-year extension option, will require Viva Energy to supply fuel to the ADF both locally and internationally, including Defence Fuel Installations around Australia and the RMAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia.
The high-flash jet fuel is currently manufactured and imported abroad.
Under the contract, Viva Energy will also be responsible for fuel supply to ADF aircraft and vessels at all commercial airports, ports, and marinas across the country and beyond.
The company will resume production at Geelong Refinery of F-44 or JP-5, a military specification aviation turbine fuel used on aircraft carriers.
Viva Energy CEO and MD Scott Wyatt said the new fuel supply contract scales Viva Energy’s role in fuel security and extends the company’s strategic relationship with ADF.
“This is a significant contract for both our Refining and Commercial & Industrial businesses,” Wyatt said.
The CEO also explained that the resumption of local manufacturing of F-44 at Geelong Refinery reinforces the company’s commitment to the nation’s energy security.
“This builds on our project to construct 90 million litres of diesel storage tanks on the site, due for completion in 2024. Viva Energy looks forward to further strengthening our relationship with the ADF and also supporting the ADF’s energy transition in the future,” Wyatt said.
Viva will also collaborate with ADF on the energy transition and renewable fuels.
The fuel supply contract comes after years of declining local oil refining and fuel production and will be good for Australia’s defence, energy security and jobs, according to Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy.
“We are really pleased about the difference this will make in the regional centre of Geelong in Victoria. The Government is working hard to build a resilient fuel supply for Defence and to strengthen Australia’s national security – and this domestic fuel supply contract will contribute to this,” Conroy said.
