The production of the first new solvent at Geelong’s oil refinery since the ’80s has boosted efforts to make the plant viable, according to management.
Viva Energy Australia said Vivasol X55 had application for tyres, automatic transmissions and brakes, adhesives and thinners.
The new product helped fulfil customer demand while highlighting the benefit of retaining traditional manufacturing in Australia, said refinery general manager Thys Heyns.
“Launching a locally reined product, particularly one that we previously imported, is always exciting as the opportunities to do so are few and far between,” said Mr Heyns.
“The Geelong refinery is well-known for manufacturing niche products and the addition of Vivasol X55 to our suite of locally produced products strengthens this position.
“We are the only refinery in Australia producing solvents, bitumen and avgas, which is used for propeller engine planes.
“In order to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the refinery we need to play to our strengths, and specialty products are definitely a strength for Geelong.
“As an industry we need to adapt to changing customer and market conditions and Vivasol X55 is an important demonstration that we can do this.”
The refinery has operated for more than 60 years and provides employment for more than 700 full-time workers.
The workforce injected more than $200 million into the local economy each year, Viva Energy said.
The refinery also produced about half Victoria’s and 10 per cent of Australia’s total fuel needs, the company said.
Viva said Vivasol X55 was the second new product at the refinery since the company took over in 2014.
“The refinery has been focussed on selling nearly all of its production into our home state of Victoria. However, this does not necessarily include our niche products,” Mr Heyns said.
“Two years ago the refinery created low-aromatic unleaded fuel as part of the Federal Government’s petrol sniffing prevention program, which is distributed throughout the northern half of Australia.
“We are also exploring the possibility of building an export line to supply locally made bitumen to other parts of Australia where imported product is their only option.
“These strategies, innovations and investments are important as we must focus on doing all that we can to help compete against Asian mega-refineries, which can be up to 10 times our size and two to three times cheaper to run.”
