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.
