Biotech seed producer Corteva Agriscience and global energy giant bp have launched a biofuel feedstock joint venture.
The Etlas 50:50 partnership would combine Corteva technology and bp integrated downstream capabilities to produce oil from crops – including canola, mustard and sunflowerseed – for use as biofuel feedstocks in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel, the companies said on 7 January.
Etlas aimed to produce 1M tonnes/year of feedstock by the mid-2030s, which could be used to produce over 800,000 tonnes of biofuel.
Initial supply was scheduled to begin in 2027 for use in co-processing at refineries as well as at dedicated biofuels plants, the companies said.
“As the aviation industry looks for reliable, sustainable and cost-competitive sources of SAF, it is clear farmers have a critical role to play,” said Etlas CEO Ignacio Conti.
“Etlas brings together global leaders in agriculture innovation and energy production to harness this demand by leveraging technological expertise and trusted relationships with farmers around the world to help scale production and boost supply while offering farmers new revenue streams.”
The companies said feedstock used by Etlas would be harvested from crops grown on existing cropland, between main food cropping seasons.
According to industry estimates, global SAF demand is expected to increase from about 1M tonnes in 2024 to up to 10M tonnes by 2030, while global demand for renewable diesel could rise from approximately 17M tonnes in 2024 up to 35M tonnes by 2030.
