Viva Energy tank upgrade

As part of the Australian Government’s “Boosting Australia’s Diesel Storage Program”, Viva Energy built additional strategic diesel storage at its refinery in Geelong.

Three fuel storage tanks were built, each with 30 million litres of capacity, came online in September 2024. At 45m in diameter and nearly 30m tall, these three tanks will collectively store enough diesel to supply Victoria for about a week.

Gordon McKay’s role was the installation and commissioning of all Instrument and Electrical equipment associated with the new tanks, including:

• Upgrade of instrumentation to smart sensor technology
• The upgrade of secondary containment and leak detection systems
• Integration of radar level gauges, temperature sensors, and overfill protection
• SCADA integration for remote monitoring

Key challenges during installation included operational constraints due to the refinery remaining live, which necessitated tight coordination to minimise disruptions, and frequent inclement weather.

These challenges were mitigated through daily work front reviews and reallocation of installation crews to parallel tasks along with the utilisation of cloud-based project tracking and shared dashboards for real-time updates across all teams.

In summary, Gordon McKay served as a major service provider for Viva Energy, not only delivering a functional upgrade but also setting new internal benchmarks for execution and safety. Through strategic planning, effective stakeholder engagement, and robust safety practices, the project delivered both compliance and operational value, strengthening Viva Energy’s infrastructure for future growth.