Italian oil and gas company Eni has announced a major strategic investment by Q8 Italy – the international arm of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation – in its ongoing construction of a new biorefinery in Priolo, Sicily.
Following Q8’s official binding offer, the plan for the Versalis site in Priolo was formally approved by Eni and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s board of directors, Eni said on 3 February.
The Priolo biorefinery would have a capacity of 500,000 tonnes/year and would offer operational flexibility for the production of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the company said.
It would use Eni’s Ecofining technology – developed in conjunction with Honeywell UOP – to convert waste, residues and vegetable oils into biofuels that could be used in 100% pure form.
“The joint project between Eni and Q8 Italy for the construction and subsequent industrial operation of the plant further strengthens the 30-year partnership between the two companies, which began with the Milazzo refinery in 1996,” Eni said.
The engineering phase on the project had been completed and preparations for awarding procurement and construction contracts had begun. Demolition works required for the development of the new infrastructure were also about to start; and the authorisation process had been launched.
Completion of the required authorisations and of positive finalisation of the detailed contractual documentation and of the works was expected by the end of 2028, the company said.
Announced by Eni in October 2024, the plan for the Priolo site would support the objectives of Eni and its biofuels arm, Enilive, to reach a biorefining capacity of 5M tonnes/year by 2030, the company said.
According to its website, Q8’s activities include refining and marketing fuel, lubricants and other petroleum derivatives.
