The start-up is a significant milestone in Neste Oil's cleaner traffic strategy and consolidates the company's position as the world's leading producer of renewable diesel, Neste said. The plant was completed on-schedule and on-budget.
"We are very proud of the new plant in Rotterdam," said Neste Oil's President and Chief Executive Officer Matti Lievonen. "It will help us meet demand in the European market, the world's largest for renewable diesel."
The Rotterdam plant has a capacity of 800,000 tonnes per year and will increase Neste Oil's total renewable diesel capacity to 2 million tonnes per year. Utilizing Neste Oil's proprietary NExBTL technology, the plant can make flexible use of almost any vegetable oil or waste fat in the production of premium-quality renewable diesel, Neste said. The plant employs approximately 150 people, consisting of 110 Neste Oil employees and 40 service provider personnel.
Neste Oil already operates a renewable diesel plant in Singapore that came on stream in 2010 and two plants in Porvoo, Finland that came on stream in 2007 and 2009. All of Neste Oil's NExBTL plants produce renewable diesel and have the capability to produce NExBTL renewable aviation fuel.
"The Rotterdam plant is Neste Oil's fourth facility producing high-quality renewable diesel. With its start-up, our major €1.5 billion investment program aimed at increasing our renewable diesel production capacity has entered its final stage. The successful completion of the program underlines our strong commitment to providing solutions that help meet the world's growing energy demand and need to reduce traffic-related emissions," said Lievonen.
Neste Oil's NExBTL renewable diesel is a premium fuel that is compatible with all diesel engines and existing fuel distribution systems.
