The European Investment Bank and Eni have signed a 15-year financing contract worth 500 million euros to support the conversion of Eni’s Livorno refinery into a biorefinery, a conversion that will make it a decisive facility for the production of fuels dedicated to transportation.
“Eni’s project involves the construction of new plants at the Livorno refinery site for the production of hydrogenated biofuels, including a biogenic feedstock pretreatment unit and a 500,000-ton/year Ecofining plant,” explained an Eni note: “Thanks to the proprietary Ecofining technology, Enilive, Eni’s company for sustainable mobility, produces HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil), a biofuel from renewable feedstocks, such as cooking oils and agri-food industry residues, which can already be used in pure form by validated engines and is distributed through existing infrastructure.”
According to Eni, HVO biofuels play a fundamental role because they can provide an immediate contribution to reducing emissions (calculated across the entire value chain) in the transportation sector, not only for road transport but also for aviation, maritime, and rail transport. The conversion of the Livorno site aligns with Enilive’s strategy to increase biofuel production in response to growing demand in Europe and Italy, both for the emission reduction targets set by RED III (Renewable Energy Directive) and for the obligations on pure biofuel consumption defined by Italian legislation. Globally, estimates predict that demand for hydrogenated biofuels will increase by 65% between 2024 and 2028.”
The Livorno biorefinery will be able to process various types of biogenic feedstocks, primarily plant-based waste and residues, to produce HVO diesel, HVO naphtha, and bio-LPG: “Among the distinctive features of the project, in addition to the adoption of advanced technologies, is the future possibility of modifying the plant layout to have the flexibility to also produce SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel), a sustainable aviation fuel that represents one of the main pathways for decarbonizing air transport. This element provides investment flexibility and strengthens its alignment with the European Union’s environmental priorities, expanding its potential impact.”
The note from the six-legged dog specifies that “the operation fits into the context of the energy transition at the national and European level, contributing significantly to the decarbonization of the transportation sector and the reduction of CO2 emissions. Additionally, it supports the achievement of national targets for pure biofuel production, which under current legislation foresee a progressive increase in usage, from 300,000 tons per year in 2023 to one million tons by 2030.”
