The company introduced its European standard EN-590 diesel as the “world’s first renewable fuel suitable for all diesel engines”. It contains at least 10% biofuel of Neste’s own NExBTL brand. Neste claims EN-590 outperforms both regular diesel as well as other biodiesels on the market.

Neste produces its biodiesel at a 170,000 tonne-per-annum facility located in Porvoo, southern Finland, mainly from imported palm oil, rapeseed oil and animal fats. The company aims for 70% of its biodiesel inputs to be non-food crops within the next 10 years. "In about 2020 we strive to have all the raw materials we use from outside the food chain," said Simo Honkanen, who heads up Neste’s renewable fuels division. That could include both biomass and algae.

Currently most of Neste’s biodiesel is exported and the company is seeing a large demand for its product. A second biodiesel facility is expected to come online in Porvoo next year and Neste has also commenced construction of an 800,000 tonnes-per-annum plant in Singapore which is scheduled to be operational by 2010.