Q&A

Q: What investments is Neste Oil making in renewable fuels?

Neste Oil is a global leader in investing in the production of renewable diesel:

  • Neste Oil has two plants producing NExBTL, its renewable diesel, at Porvoo in Finland, with a combined capacity of 380,000 metric tons per year.
  • Neste Oil invested EUR 550 million in building the world's largest renewable diesel refinery in Singapore. The refinery came on stream in November 2010 and it has a capasity of 800,000 metric tons.
  • Neste Oil invested EUR 670 million in building the Europe’s largest renewable diesel refinery in Rotterdam. The refinery came on stream in September 2011 and it has a capacity of 800,000 t/a.

Q: Why is Neste Oil investing in renewable fuels?

  • Neste Oil believes that there is an urgent need to meet the challenges of climate change and energy security alongside a rising demand for clean road transport fuels.
  • Road transport is major and growing part of energy consumption around the world.  It accounts for 18 % of global GHG emissions.  Demand for diesel will continue to rise in future.
  • Many other alternatives are many years away.  NExBTL renewable diesel is a unique alternative fuel as it does not need to be blended with fossil fuel diesel; it can be used within current engines and infrastructure in a pure, 100 % form.
  • Neste Oil has a long legacy of leadership in producing clean fuels – it pioneered the reduction of sulphur in diesel and gasoline and has been selected for inclusion in the Global 100 list of the world's most sustainable companies for the sixth year in succession.

Q: What kinds of cuts in emissions does NExBTL deliver?

NExBTL renewable diesel is the world’s cleanest fuel:

  • NExBTL creates remarkable reduction in GHG emissions compared to standard fossil fuels over the whole life-cycle of the product. The reduction is 40-90%. 
  • NExBTL significantly reduces exhaust pipe emissions, e.g. particular emissions are reduced by almost 30 % and nitrous oxides by 10 %.

Q: How is NExBTL renewable diesel different from other biofuels?

NExBTL is unique as:

  • It delivers high-levels of emissions cuts (reduces significantly GHG emissions and exhaust pipe emissions).
  • It is hydrocarbon and therefore compatible with existing diesel engines and delivery systems, even in a pure form (i.e. not blended with fossil fuels).
  • It is feedstock neutral - a wide variety of different feedstocks (mainly vegetable oils and waste animal fats) can be used to produce it without impacts on the product quality.
  • It has much higher cetane number than biodiesel currently available (FAME).
  • It performs better at cold climate.

Q: What feedstocks are used to produce NExBTL renewable diesel?

  • NExBTL is feedstock neutral –  a wide variety of different feedstocks (mainly vegetable oils and waste animal fats) can be used to produce it without impacts on the product quality.
  • Currently Neste Oil produces NExBTL renewable diesel from a mix of palm oil, stearin and palm oil fatty acid distillate (PFAD) which are by-products of palm oil production, rapeseed oil, jatropha oil, camelina oil, soybean oil, waste animal fat produced by the food processing industry as well as waste fat from the fish processing industry.
  • Neste Oil chooses feedstocks for use based on their sustainability, the amount of  energy they yield per hectare and their availability
    Neste Oil invests heavily in the research and development of future feedstocks. Neste Oil is developing a range of new raw materials in cooperation with over 20 research institutes worldwide. Sources being studied include algae, microbes and forest harvesting waste.


Q: Why does Neste Oil use palm oil and how is Neste Oil tackling sustainability issues?

The sustainability of the raw material used for our NExBTL renewable diesel is fundamental to the approach we take for biofuels. Neste Oil shares the concerns on the way palm oil is produced by some companies and strives to ensure that the palm oil it uses to produce NExBTL renewable diesel is sustainable and produced in a responsible way:

  • Palm oil offers some of the highest energy per hectare yield compared to any other feedstock.
  • Our sustainability approach consists of ecological, economical and social aspects, and we take them all into account when measuring the sustainability.
  • We’re the only company that measures, audits and reports the impact of our fuel over its entire life cycle – the first report is available on our website.
  • We support the EU in addressing the issue of indirect land use and are investing in third party  research in this area.
  • We know exactly where our feedstocks come from and what methods the producer is using in the production.
  • We support the EU in addressing the issue of indirect land use and are investing in third party  research in this area.
  • We were the first oil company to join the  Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
  • To follow RSPO principles  and criteria we source palm oil from established plantations as opposed to those created from newly cleared rainforest.
  • We have committed to use only certified palm oil by the end of year 2015. Or even earlier if there is enough certified palm oil available.

Q: Why are biofuels necessary?  Can’t we just use other alternative energy sources to combat global warming?

Neste Oil believes that there is an urgent need to meet the challenges of climate change and energy security alongside a rising demand for clean road transport fuels.

  • Road transport is major and growing part of energy consumption around the world.  It accounts for 18 % of global GHG emissions.  Demand for diesel will continue to rise in future.
  • Many other alternatives are many years away.  NExBTL renewable diesel is a unique alternative fuel as it does not need to be blended with fossil fuel diesel; it can be used within current engines and infrastructure in a pure, 100% form. 
  • Other alternatives such as electric cars are not options for diesel dependent heavy goods vehicles, such as lorries.
 
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