Yarraville’s plan to reduce emissions

The production, processing, storage and transportation of petroleum products are all accompanied by the emission of vapours. A vapour recovery unit is designed to capture these vapours in order to reduce emissions and recover fuel that can be returned to the energy stream.

The new unit will replace two smaller vapour recovery units at Yarraville terminal, resulting in improved safety and efficiency as well as a reduction in the terminal’s overall emissions and odours.

“Technology in this area has come a long way since we installed our existing vapour recovery units in the 1980s,” explained the Project Manager Gary Brown. “The new unit will enable us to reduce emissions and help us to meet a growing demand for our fuel.”

Yarraville Terminal Manager Michael Singh said the new vapour recovery unit was an important part of the terminal’s overall Supply Optimisation Project.

“The logistics of supplying modern fuel markets is complex and highly competitive,” he said. “It’s so important to keep aligned to what our customers want and what they will want in the future. Technology has greatly enhanced our ability to achieve this.”

During the past five years, Mobil has invested more than $400 million at the Altona Refinery and Yarraville Terminal. The terminal receives both locally-refined and imported fuels and is Mobil’s primary distribution terminal in Melbourne for the supply of petrol, diesel and jet fuel throughout Victoria.

“We are currently investing in projects designed to expanding our capacity and improve the flexibility of our operations to help us meet the growing demand for transportation fuels,” said Singh. “As we do this we are also looking for opportunities to reduce our environmental footprint and improve the overall ambience of the site. This vapour recovery unit will certainly assist us with that.”