Italy’s oil giant Eni has confirmed its decision to convert the Livorno refinery into a bio-refinery. Eni’s Livorno refinery, located in the north of Italy, has been operating since 1936. It has a refining capacity of 105 kbbl (thousand barrels)/day and mainly manufactures lubricant bases, fuel oil, gasoline, and special products. The conversion project was first announced in October 2022 and is awaiting official authorisations after an environmental impact assessment application.
The bio-refinery will include the construction of three new facilities for the production of hydrogenated biofuels (HVO): a biogenic feedstock pre-treatment unit; a 500,000 tonnes/year Ecofining plant; and a facility to produce hydrogen from methane gas. Completion and commissioning are expected by 2026. The plant will process various biogenic feedstocks, mainly vegetable waste and residue, to produce HVO diesel, HVO naphtha, and bio-LPG. Through its subsidiary Enilive, Eni is the second-largest producer of hydrogenated biofuels in Europe and the third-largest in the world. The move comes amid Italian legislation requiring the introducing of pure biofuels the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive targets to reduce emissions in the mobility sector through the use of biofuels.
Source: sustainableplastics.com