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    Rio Tinto renewable diesel trial: HVO fleet switch insights for mine engineers

    November 26, 2025|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Rio Tinto renewable diesel trial: HVO fleet switch insights for mine engineers

    First reported on Australian Mining

    30 Second Briefing

    Rio Tinto and Viva Energy have completed a large-scale renewable diesel trial, showing haul trucks and other heavy mobile equipment can switch from conventional diesel with no changes to engines, fuel systems or maintenance schedules. The trial used drop-in hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)-type fuel in standard high-horsepower mining fleets, validating cold-start performance, fuel consumption and engine wear against OEM limits. Results indicate sites with existing diesel storage and distribution can cut Scope 1 emissions from mobile equipment rapidly by substituting fuel rather than retrofitting fleets.

    Technical Brief

    • For other large mining fleets, the trial provides operational data to support regulatory approvals and internal decarbonisation roadmaps.

    Our Take

    Within our 52 Mining stories, Rio Tinto appears frequently in decarbonisation and fuel-switching pieces, signalling that trials like this renewable diesel work in Australia are moving from one-off pilots towards a portfolio-level transition strategy.

    Australia-focused Sustainability-tagged items in our database increasingly involve collaboration with domestic energy suppliers, so Rio Tinto’s work with Viva Energy fits a pattern where miners test low-carbon fuels through local downstream partners rather than importing solutions.

    For heavy mobile and rail equipment in Australian mining, renewable diesel is one of the few near-term drop-in options that does not require wholesale fleet replacement, so successful trials by a major like Rio Tinto could lower perceived technology risk for smaller operators considering similar moves.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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