Pacific National Fuel Savings Program

Pacific National Fuel Savings Program is a transport efficiency project operating across Pacific National's extensive rail freight network throughout Australia. Registered in October 2015, the project does not have a single fixed location but rather covers a "group of vehicles" comprising locomotives and rolling stock that traverse diverse regions, from the coal lines of the Hunter Valley in NSW to intermodal freight corridors connecting major capital cities like Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Land and Sea Transport) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits emissions reductions achieved by lowering the emissions intensity of transport services, essentially using less fuel to move the same amount of freight. For a rail operator, this involves establishing a baseline of fuel efficiency (e.g., litres of diesel per tonne-kilometre) and implementing activities to improve upon it. Standard requirements for this method involve rigorous data collection on fuel consumption, distance travelled, and payload weight to calculate valid abatement.

Because the project assets are mobile and operate nationally, traditional environmental metrics like rainfall and soil type vary constantly. The "operational environment" spans the entirety of the Australian continent, including the arid Nullarbor Plain, the temperate coastal regions of New South Wales, and the sub-tropical zones of Queensland.

The specific activities utilized by Pacific National to drive these savings include the deployment of "Trip Optimizer" technology, a cruise control system for trains that calculates the most fuel-efficient speed profile, and operational changes to reduce locomotive idling times. Additionally, technical trials noted in the industry have linked Pacific National to the use of combustion catalysts (such as FPC) to improve diesel burn efficiency in their 90-class locomotives. The project successfully completed its carbon abatement contract (CAC102179) with the Australian Government, delivering the contracted carbon credits.