
InfoSAWIT, SINGAPORE – Integrated palm oil company, Apical through its subsidiary Bio-Oils and its partner, Cepsa announced to construct the biggest second generation - biofuel mill in southern Europe.
The € 1,2 billion – mill would produce 500.000 tons sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel per year that would be enough for jet to fly the sky for 1.300 times. Besides, the facility is hoped to reduce CO2 emission for about 3 million tons per year or equal to 600.000 unused buses.
Executive Director of Apical, Pratheepan Kanuragaran said that the acces of sustainable material is a challenge in many countries but with the global – scale – partnership of Apical, which still develops, they hoped to get palm oil wastes and used palm cooking oil to produce SAF.
“By constructing the new mill, it is hoped, there would be solution on the main challenge in the industry that has something to do with raw materials,” he said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Monday (26/2/2024).
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Cepsa, Maarten Wetselaar said that the mill construction would be the first main pillar from their positive motion strategy. The project is hoped not to be the benchmark in Europe only in rain molecule but also would facilitate decarbonization in the sectors that could not operate with electron, such as, aviation industries.
The mill also stands out because of its sustainable environment. By applying the latest technology and digital concept, the mill would deliver minimal impacts for the environment, would produce CO2 emission 75% less than traditional biofuel mills. Besides, the facility would use reclamation water and renewable hydrogen in its production, reduce fresh water consumption in around the mill.
By escalating its production capacity twice to be 1 million tons per year, the mill is hoped to deliver answer the increasing demands. Apical is getting cooperation with other oil companies in many countries to construct SAF facility in Singapore and Asia, as the response to what Singapore planned that encouraged environmental fuel in aviation sector in 2026.
In the recent days, Singapore regulated SAF use for every aviation. This would be in 2026 and Apical did welcome it. They believed the deeper collaboration would help escalate SAF adoption within economic price, profitable for consumers and flights, and also would make decarbonization go forward in aviation sector. (T2)