A 50:50 joint venture launched by Corteva and BP will see canola, mustard and sunflower, along with other crops, used to manufacture sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel.
Agriscience company Corteva will use its expertise in seed technology to develop crops that are suited to producing SAF and renewable diesel, while BP will bring its knowledge of refining and marketing fuel for commercial transport markets to the joint venture, called Etlas.
Demand for renewable fuels is set to grow, with a paper from the World Economic Forum published in February 2025 indicating that by 2030, global demand for SAF could reach 17 million tonnes per annum, representing 4-5% of total jet fuel consumption.
However, SAF production is lagging and meeting the likely 2030 demand will require an additional 5.8 million tonnes of capacity. Meanwhile, global demand for renewable diesel could rise to as much as 35 million tonnes during the same period.
Etlas said that its aim is to provide a “reliable, scalable supply of feedstock to help meet this expected demand.”
The International Energy Agency is also forecasting growth in transport biofuel with its share of transport fuel set to rise from 4% in 2024 to 6% by 2030.
Etlas aims to produce one million tonnes of feedstock per year by the mid-2030s. This could lead to the production of more than 800 000 tonnes of biofuels. Feedstock will be harvested from crops that are grown on existing cropland, between main food crop seasons. Etlas adds that growing their intermediate crops will not only supply its feedstock but can help improve soil health, while providing farmers with a new revenue stream.
Initial supply of feedstock will start during 2027 for use in co-processing at refineries as well as at dedicated biofuel production facilities.
“This capital light joint venture creates optionality in our biofuels value chain, strengthening our position and helping deliver attractive returns,” said Phillip Schoelzel, senior vice president of biofuels growth at BP.
Etlas will be led by CEO Ignacio Conti, currently global business development director at Corteva. “As the aviation industry looks for reliable, sustainable cost competitive sources of SAF, it is clear that farmers have a critical role to play,” Conti said.
Further reading:
- Bayer and Neste work on feedstocks for renewable fuels
- Startup wants to turn plant waste into biofuel for planes and ships
- ARC opens centre turning waste into biofuels and bioplastics
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