Which African country has a biorefinery based on vegetable oil?
Kenya is the first African country in which we have built an oilseed pressing plant for the extraction of vegetable oil for the production of biofuel. Located in Wote, Makueni County, the centre, also known as an agri-hub, has a capacity of 15,000 tons per year and, since 2022, has been supplying the Eni biorefinery in Gela.
When will Eni biorefining start in Kenya?
The first cargo of vegetable oil for biorefining produced by Eni in Kenya has left the port of Mombasa, on its way to Gela’s biorefinery. This marks the start of the transport and logistic system that will support the value chain in the country, starting with a production of 2,500 tons by the end of 2022 to scale up rapidly to 20,000 tons in 2023.
Where is vegetable oil produced for biorefining?
The first cargo of vegetable oil for biorefining produced by Eni in Kenya leaves the port of Mombasa bound for the biorefinery in Gela, Italy. The Makueni agri-hub for the collection and pressing of oilseed is operative with the launch of vegetable oil production for biorefineries.
Why is Makueni Agri-hub launching the export of vegetable oil?
“Just three months after the start-up of the Makueni agri-hub, we are launching the export of the vegetable oil for the biorefineries, through a vertical integration model that enables the promotion of sustainable local development while valorizing the supply chain for biofuels production.
Where is vegetable oil produced?
The vegetable oil is produced in the Makueni agri-hub, the pressing plant opened by the company in July 2022 and that actually processes castor, croton and cotton seeds.
What is Agri-feedstock in Kenya?
This is a new model in the agribusiness sector that allows Kenya to enter the global industrial chain for the production of agri-feedstock, which are raw materials cultivated on degraded, semi-arid or abandoned land that are not in competition with the food supply chain. The first plant will be followed by a second.