Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni, has started production of the first vegetable oil for bio-refineries in Kenya.
Through its subsidiary Eni Kenya, the company set up an oilseed collection and pressing plant (agri-hub) in Makueni early this year.
The first agri-hub will have an installed capacity of 15,000 tons with an anticipated production of 2,500 tons in 2022.
The agri-hub will process castor, croton and cottonseeds to extract vegetable oil. The vegetable oil is therefore non-edible its intended use is for biofuel production this including hydrotreated vegetable oil (biodiesel) and sustainable aviation fuel (biojet).
Eni Kenya, in partnership with ISCC within a Horizon 2020 project, has also taken steps to obtain Low ILUC (low risk of direct and indirect land use change) certification in the next few months.
The first phase of the project in Kenya includes the construction of a second agri-hub to reach a total capacity of 30,000 tons per year of vegetable oil in 2023, as well as the development of associated agricultural supply chains.
The startup of the production in Kenya represents the first step in the company’s agro-industrial chain initiatives.
Over the past year, agreements have been signed in several countries including Congo, Mozambique, Angola, Ivory Coast, Benin, Kazakhstan and Rwanda.
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