The Gothenburg Biorefinery, a joint venture between St1 and SCA, has officially opened on 10 April. Inaugurated by Minister of Energy and Business Ebba Busch, the plant marks an important milestone in the journey towards more sustainable energy production.
Swedish Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, explains how important the biorefinery is for both Sweden and the EU.
“Increasing domestic biofuel production is important for Sweden and the EU to achieve our high climate goals, but it is also important to increase our ability to produce our own fuels. It is quite clear that biofuels are needed, not all transport will be electrified, but all good forces are needed to push Sweden forward towards net zero emissions, this refinery is a step on the way”, says Ebba Busch, Swedish Minister for Energy, Business and Industry.
Following an extensive start-up phase since the beginning of the year, the biorefinery has now commenced operations to produce Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), Bio-Diesel (HVO), Bio-Naphtha, and Bio-LPG. Located at the St1 refinery site in Gothenburg, the biorefinery’s inauguration signifies the culmination of years of planning and effort, transforming an idea and a vision into a state-of-the-art facility. With an investment of 4 billion SEK and over 2.5 million working hours, the project has transitioned from vision to reality, poised to revolutionise the renewable energy landscape.
Henrikki Talvitie, CEO of St1 Nordic Oy, states “The Gothenburg biorefinery represents our largest single investment in St1’s history, and a significant milestone in our energy transition roadmap. It underscores the scale and breadth of our ambition to drive the energy transition. This marks an important step toward realising our vision of becoming the leading producer and seller of CO2-aware energy.”
The biorefinery has an annual design capacity of 200,000 tons of renewable fuel production. The design of the biorefinery brings flexibility to the process by allowing the use of a wide range of feedstocks. Used cooking oil, animal fats, and tall oil fatty acids, the latter from SCA’s paper and pulp mills, will be integrated.
“This is a historic step for SCA’s renewable energy business and the partnership with St1 gives us the opportunity to create additional value and a greater climate benefit from each tree. By refining our tall oil, which is a by-product of the company’s pulp mill, we can become even more resource-efficient and contribute to making society better able to transition the wider transport sector. SCA’s total climate benefit is already around 13 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which accounts for about a quarter of Sweden’s territorial emissions, and we are confident that this plant can help increase our positive contribution even more,” says Mikael Källgren, president SCA Renewable Energy.
Throughout the project, intensive efforts have been made to map potential feedstock suppliers, fostering the development of a global feedstock supply chain, and establishing strong, long-term partnerships with supply chain partners. The St1-owned fatty food waste recycling company, Brocklesby Ltd, plays a pivotal role in securing feedstock collection.
Helen Ljungqvist, Managing Director of the St1 Refinery, expressed her pride in the project’s completion, stating, “I am very proud of the hard work that has brought this project to realisation and allowed us to enter operations. It’s gratifying to witness the culmination of our efforts, resulting in a robust value chain from feedstock to sustainable aviation fuel.”
The fuels produced at the biorefinery will lead to an annual reduction in road and air traffic emissions by approximately 500,000 tonnes CO₂, compared to their fossil fuel equivalent. All production at the Gothenburg Biorefinery will be certified according to sustainability certification ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification.
