Neste Oil Starts Renewable Diesel Production in Singapore

Neste Oil commenced production at its new renewable diesel plant in Singapore, which been acknowledged as the world's largest facility of this type. The $550 million investment is claimed to have been completed on time and on-budget, and is Neste Oil's first major step towards its clean traffic fuel strategy.

"We are very proud of the new plant and the NExBTL technology behind it, which is based on our in-house R&D. NExBTL represents a major Finnish innovation in the field of renewable fuels and we believe that it has excellent potential in the global marketplace," according to Neste Oil's President & CEO Matti Lievonen.

The plant has the capacity of delivering 800,000 tons of synthetic diesel per year. Neste Oil has a similar-sized facility in construction in Rotterdam, that's due to begin production in the first half of 2011. The two facilities join the company's two other plants in Porvoo, Finland, that are already operable and have a combined capacity of up to 380,000 tons per year.

The renewable diesel produced at the facility in Singapore is compatible with all existing diesel engines and fuel distribution infrastructure. It provides excellent performance at low temperatures and can be mixed with conventional fossil diesel. It reduces carbon emissions by 40 to 80 percent in comparison with fossil diesel.

"The benefits of NExBTL renewable diesel have been confirmed in numerous trials and everyday use, and the feedback that we have received from users has been excellent," says Lievonen.

NExBTL diesel will be sold in Neste Oil's two main markets, Europe and North America.