ExxonMobil has announced a milestone with Teck, the Canadian mining major, with the successful finalisation of an Esso Ethos+ Renewable Diesel R100 agreement in Canada and also the first delivery of the product to Teck’s HVC operations in British Columbia.
In August 2025, ExxonMobil said that its majority-owned affiliate, Imperial Oil Ltd’s Strathcona Refinery, had commenced production of renewable diesel. It has the capacity to produce up to 20,000 barrels a day of lower greenhouse gas emission fuels. The facility sources bio-feedstocks from Canadian agricultural suppliers to produce renewable diesel that can be used with no engine modifications, while also being well suited for Canada’s cold weather conditions – unlike most imported renewable diesel, it is engineered to meet Canadian seasonal cloud points, enabling year-round use.
ExxonMobil states: “Esso Ethos+
Renewable Diesel R100 can help lower lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in existing diesel engines and deliver dependable performance year-round to help companies achieve long-term GHG emission reduction strategies.” The fuel also contains additives designed to restore engine power by helping clean and prevent injector deposits.
Importantly, it is distinct from biodiesel (FAME), which is also produced from renewable feedstocks but through a different process, resulting in different fuel characteristics that often require lower blend levels to maintain similar performance to petroleum diesel.
Esso Ethos+ Renewable Diesel can be used in most modern diesel engines without modifying the engine or blending with conventional petroleum diesel. It is suitable for use in diesel engines certified to use CAN/CGSB 3.520, ASTM D975 and EN15940 specifications fuel. It says the proper blend for equipment should be evaluated based on the recommendations of the equipment OEM and that users should still verify fuel compatibility with the vehicle owner’s manual or by contacting your vehicle manufacturer.
Teck’s goal is to reduce the carbon intensity of its operations by 33% by the end of 2030; and to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions across its operations by the end of 2050.
Teck stated in its 2025 Sustainability Report: “On mobile equipment emissions, in 2025, we continued
to advance projects to assess multiple decarbonisation technologies, including consideration of mature technologies and low-carbon fuels such as renewable diesel.” It added: “Our largest source of Scope 1 emissions is from fuel consumed by mobile equipment. In 2025, we continued the use of renewable diesel at our HVC Operations. In line with the GHG Protocol, we have reported emissions from renewable diesel as biogenic emissions, a separate category from Scope 1.”
The company had previously stated that it had successfully integrated significant quantities of renewable diesel at its Highland Valley Copper (HVC) Operations, supporting significant emissions reduction. It was allowing Teck to reduce its Scope 1 emissions at the site by approximately 33%.
One reason Teck is progressing renewable diesel is a drop-in fuel replacement for petroleum diesel is that it involves minimal technical limitations, so has allowed HVC to reduce emissions in the haul truck fleet without operational disruption. Renewable diesel also has lower life cycle emissions than petroleum diesel, since tailpipe emissions are offset by carbon absorbed during plant growth.
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