Italy's Enilive is joining the sustainable aviation fuel market, becoming the second EU energy provider to produce an aviation decarbonization solution after Finland's Neste. Eni's wholly owned subsidiary has commenced the production of Biojet in Gela (Caltanissetta), where it already produces biodiesel (HVO). The Sicilian biorefinery, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and was converted to organic in 2019, has a processing capacity of 736 thousand tons of biomass per year, primarily from waste oils, animal fats, and byproducts of vegetable oil production. By 2030, Enilive intends to grow overall capacity to more than 5 million tons per year, with two million tons being SAF (sustainable aviation fuel, or Biojet). It is a product that is expected to see increased demand, thanks in part to new European laws. Today, Gela can meet up to a third of European demand. Enilive intends to invest $2 billion in the 2024-2027 plan. The group, led by Claudio Descalzi, has two biorefinery projects in Asia (South Korea and Malaysia), and with the Versalis revitalization plan, the former chemical plants in Priolo (Syracuse) will also be converted to biofuel production.
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