The proposed biorefinery could have the capacity to process nearly 650,000 tonnes per year of raw materials to produce up to 12,500 barrels per day of biofuels
Petronas, Eni, and Euglena to evaluate the scope of constructing a biorefinery in the Pengerang Integrated Complex. Credit: Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS)
Petroliam Nasional (Petronas), Eni, and Euglena announced that they are evaluating the scope for developing and operating a biorefinery in the Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) in Malaysia.
The companies are presently undertaking technical and economic feasibility assessments for the proposed facility.
The proposed biorefinery could have the capacity to process nearly 650,000 tonnes per year of raw materials to produce up to 12,500 barrels per day of biofuels.
Besides, the biorefinery is anticipated to have a flexible configuration to maximise the production of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) for diesel-powered trains, on-road vehicles, and marine transportation along with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for aircraft.
To be built next to Petronas’ existing integrated refinery and petrochemical facilities, the biorefinery is expected to be complete by 2025.
The investment decision for the biorefinery is anticipated to be made by 2023.
Petronas downstream business refining, marketing and trading vice president Ahmad Adly Alias said: “As Petronas continues to chart its course into the biofuels space, decarbonising and diversifying its production portfolio to cater for the rising global demand for sustainable solutions, this collaboration is momentous to unlock the partners’ respective strengths and jointly strengthen our position in the field of biofuels in Malaysia and around the world.”
With its proximity to Petronas’ existing integrated refinery and petrochemical facilities, the biorefinery is expected to utilise the company’s integrated value chain along with existing utilities and facilities in the Pengerang Integrated Complex.
The Ecofining process, developed by Eni in collaboration with Honeywell UOP, is planned to be used in the proposed biorefinery.
Eni energy evolution chief operating officer Giuseppe Ricci said: “For the biorefinery project to develop together with Euglena and Petronas in Malaysia, Eni is pleased to share its experience and its breakthrough technologies that enabled the company to make the world’s first conversion of a refinery into a biorefinery in Porto Marghera (Venice) in 2014, and to inaugurate a second one in Gela, Sicily in 2019.”