BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. Eni and PETRONAS
will assess the development of high-performance bio-gasoline.
The two companies have signed a Feasibility Agreement to assess
the potential development of high-performance bio-gasoline based on
Eni’s Ecofining™ technology, which has been used to produce HVO
biofuels from renewable feedstocks since 2014.
Eni said that under the agreement, the companies will evaluate
the technical, market and sustainability aspects of innovative
bio-gasolines produced from renewable raw materials, as well as
their performance. The fuels could initially be used in motorsport
competitions before potentially supporting the development of
commercial products.
"The study will enable both companies to combine their
distinctive expertise. On one side, Eni will contribute its
consolidated experience in sustainable energy solutions and in the
production, at Enilive biorefineries, of commercially available
biofuels from renewable feedstocks – including HVO diesel and
SAF-biojet – as well as the development of innovative bio-gasoline.
Meanwhile, PETRONAS will contribute its proven expertise in fuel
technology, from fossil-based fuels to high-performance sustainable
fuels for combustion engines, together with its experience in
sustainable energy solutions and advanced product development," the
company said.
The partnership builds on several existing areas of cooperation
between the two companies. Eni and PETRONAS recently established
Searah, a 50:50 joint venture bringing together operations in
Indonesia and Malaysia, including a portfolio of 19 gas production
and development assets.
Separately, PETRONAS, Enilive and Euglena have established
Pengerang Biorefinery Sdn. Bhd., a joint venture developing a
biorefinery in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia. The facility is expected
to process up to 650,000 tonnes of renewable feedstocks annually by
the second half of 2028, producing SAF, HVO diesel and
bio-naphtha.
Enilive currently produces HVO biofuel from renewable
feedstocks, primarily waste materials such as used cooking oil,
animal fats and residues from the agri-food industry. Eni uses its
proprietary Ecofining™ process at its biorefineries in Venice Porto
Marghera and Gela, Italy.
Eni has been active in the bioenergy sector for more than a
decade, focusing on the production of biofuels from renewable
feedstocks, particularly waste and residues. Its main feedstocks
include used cooking oil, animal fats and residues from the
agri-food industry.
The company produces hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) using its
proprietary Ecofining™ technology, developed in partnership with
Honeywell UOP. The technology is currently used at Eni’s
biorefineries in Venice Porto Marghera and Gela, Italy, to convert
renewable feedstocks into HVO, a biofuel designed to reduce
CO₂-equivalent emissions across its lifecycle.
Through its energy-transition subsidiary Enilive, Eni manages
its biorefining activities as well as the production, marketing and
distribution of biofuels and biomethane. HVO fuel is marketed under
the HVOlution brand and is increasingly available through Enilive
service stations across Europe. HVO marine biofuel is also supplied
at the ports of Genoa and Ravenna.
Eni has also been expanding its renewable-feedstock processing
capacity and related partnerships. Together with PETRONAS and
Euglena, the company is developing the Pengerang Biorefinery in
Malaysia, which is expected to process up to 650,000 tonnes of
renewable feedstocks annually by the second half of 2028, producing
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), HVO diesel and bio-naphtha.
As part of its sustainability strategy, Eni said it stopped
procuring palm oil for its Venice and Gela biorefineries in October
2022, with its biofuel production increasingly relying on
waste-based feedstocks.
