Plans for a $500 million renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel biorefinery in Gladstone are advancing through the environmental approvals process.

Oceania Biofuels plans to refine tallow, used cooking oil, as well as canola, cotton seed and soy oils to produce the fuels. The project will also produce bio-naphtha as process by-product.

The project referral under the EPBC Act has been published with an invitation for public comment.

Oceania Biofuels proposes to start construction in early 2023 and said the plant could be fuelling vehicles and planes in Australia by 2025.

The project will comprise a biofuel refinery located at Yarwun, a tank farm located at Fisherman’s Landing where biofuels and feedstocks will be stored, pipelines and loading arms on the jetty at Fisherman’s Landing (if existing loading arms cannot be used).

The proponents say the project will not release any liquid effluent to the environment.

Process water by-product will be provided to other local industries and all other waste products will be disposed of at licenced facilities.

Preparation of the refinery site before construction of the plant and ancillary buildings will involve clearing and grubbing, earthworks for site levelling, and excavations for piling (potentially) and underground services.

Construction of the pipelines between the refinery and the tank farm will require grubbing and trenching to bury the pipelines. The construction disturbance area will be 20m wide.

The pipelines between the tank farm and the loading jetty at Fisherman’s Landing are expected to be mostly below ground.