Two Sydney construction projects will be built with cranes using 100 per cent renewable diesel in an Australian first.

Renewable diesel is a renewable hydrocarbon biofuel made from vegetable oil, waste oil, and animal fats and is suitable for use in traditional diesel engines.

The fuel will power cranes operating at two upcoming construction projects, including Powerhouse Parramatta and the new Sydney Fish Market.

New South Wales’ Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport, Rob Stokes, said the construction industry is leading the charge to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

“We can’t achieve our target of net zero emissions by 2050 without decarbonising our infrastructure pipeline and the arrival of renewable diesel is a significant milestone in that journey,” Mr Stokes said. 

“Construction emissions contribute 23 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and about 5.5 per cent of these are directly caused by construction machinery and equipment powered by fossil fuel.”

The initiative is a partnership between Marr Contracting as the cranage provider, Lendlease as the delivery partner of Powerhouse Parramatta, and Multiplex as the delivery partner of the new Sydney Fish Market.

Marr Managing Director, Simon Marr, said the decision to replace mineral diesel with HVO100 was a significant advancement for sustainable construction. 

“This allows us to transition away from fossil diesel and maintain the speed, power and reliability of our cranes to drive productivity and cost-efficiencies, while helping our clients achieve their sustainability goals by directly contributing to a reduction in scope one emissions,” Mr Marr said.  

Lendlease Managing Director of Construction, David Paterson, said the move to renewable diesel underlined their steadfast commitment to climate action, and will become a game-changer for the construction industry.

“We’re introducing the first renewable diesel to Australia onto our project sites, in collaboration with partners, and we hope today’s announcement inspires collective action from Australian contractors, the supply chain, and customers to address one of the most critical needs of our time,” Mr Paterson said.

Multiplex Regional Managing Director, David Ghannoum, said they were thrilled to support Marr and the New South Wales Government in bringing HVO100 into the Australian market.

“Removing fossil diesel fuel from our sites presents a huge opportunity for our projects and industry to significantly reduce carbon emissions and make a real change,” Mr Ghannoum said.

In addition to the use of renewable diesel, the Powerhouse Museum recently launched a Climate Action Plan which targets net zero emissions in operation by 2025. The construction of the Powerhouse Museum at Parramatta will be certified Climate Active Carbon Neutral.

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