Finland-headed oil refiner and renewable products producer Neste Oyj has extended its partnership with OKQ8 AB, one of Sweden’s largest fuel retail companies. Neste MY Renewable Diesel, produced from renewable and sustainable raw materials, will become available for motorists at 130 OKQ8 network stations by the end of 2020 making OKQ8 the largest retailer of HVO100 in the country.
One of Sweden’s largest fuel retailers, OKQ8 operates 700 filling stations providing private and professional drivers with a full range of products and services along with alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG), biodiesel (rape methyl ester – RME) and HVO100. It was the first Swedish fuel company to blend five percent ethanol in 95-octane gasoline for environmental reasons and it has the largest number of E85 pumps.
The cooperation with Neste is an important part of our sustainable strategy, which is to help customers and 1.6 million members to change to fossil fuels. OKQ8, together with Tanka, already has 108 stations with the fossil-free alternative HVO100. With our new partnership we will be able to offer Neste MY Renewable Diesel (HVO100) at 130 stations already this summer and expect to expand further during the year and onwards, said Karin Hellgren, Head of Communications at OKQ8.
For Neste the extended partnership means that the number of Neste MY Renewable Diesel sales points in Sweden will more than double to over 200 by year-end.
This collaboration marks an important step in the execution of our growth strategy for branded fuels and renewable transportation in Sweden as well as globally. It will more than double the availability of Neste MY Renewable Diesel in Sweden, and we are extremely happy to be able to offer our renewable diesel to more drivers across the country, said Carl Nyberg, Executive Vice President for Neste’s Renewable Road Transportation business unit.
Drop-in GHG reduction
According to Neste, with the use of its MY Renewable Diesel, customers can reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 90 percent compared to fossil diesel over the lifecycle. The fuel is a drop-in solution, meaning that it can be refueled without any modifications to existing diesel engines or logistics.
In addition to heavy-duty and public transportation, private car owners can now fill up with our high-quality product and become fossil-free in an instant. Moreover, this further contributes to Sweden reaching its ambitious climate target to become fossil-free by 2045, said Carl Nyberg.
Neste is the world’s largest manufacturer of renewable diesel. For OKQ8, sustainability throughout the supply chain is fundamental and the partnership with Neste matches the high requirements.
Partnering with Neste fits with the OKQ8 sustainability strategy. By the end of 2020 our 1.6 million members and private and professional customers can refuel with Neste MY Renewable Diesel at OKQ8 and OKQ8 network stations throughout Sweden. The partnership is an important enabler for our sustainability agenda and the number of stations offering HVO100 will continue to grow in our network of more than 740 stations in the years to come, said Andréa Haag, Director Sustainability & Network at OKQ8.
Neste launched Neste MY Renewable Diesel in Sweden in 2018 with selected distribution partners. Besides Sweden, the fuel is available for customers in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the US states of California and Oregon.
