LISBON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Portugal's Galp Energia expects to begin producing biodiesel and biojet fuel from waste in an industrial-scale unit it is constructing at its Sines refinery in 2026, the company, which is mostly an oil producer and refiner, said on Thursday.
Last year Galp participated in a 75%-25% joint venture with Japan's Mitsui to invest 400 million euros ($415 million) in the Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) plant, which will have a production capacity of 270,000 metric lots per year.
It will transform waste materials, such as utilized cooking oils, into renewable biodiesel and biojet fuel, likewise called sustainable air travel fuel (SAF), utilizing green hydrogen produced by an electrolyser powered by wind or solar power.
Galp stated in a statement it received on Wednesday the 3 reactors to process biofuels, which will permit the HVO unit to "produce SAF and biodiesel in 2026 ... putting Galp at the forefront of establishing low-carbon options important for the energy transition".
Galp is likewise investing 250 million euros in a 100 megawatt (MW) electrolyser unit to produce green hydrogen to power the refinery in Sines. ($1 = 0.9637 euros) (Reporting by Sergio Goncalves;-RRB-
