Eni’s biofuel programme gains traction in Africa

Eni’s biofuel programme gains traction in Africa

The Republic of Congo has entered Italian energy major Eni’s global biofuel value chain.

By Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and editor of the WhyAfrica magazine.

Italian energy major Eni’s biofuel programme is gaining traction in Africa. Late last month Denis Sassou Nguesso, the President of the Republic of Congo, officially inaugurated a new soybean and sunflower oil extraction facility in the southern Bouenza region.

This follows recent announcements by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that Italy will support pilot projects across several African countries in various sectors as part of the Mattei plan.

Named the Arturo Bellezza Agri-hub, the plant will boast an annual capacity of 30,000 tons of vegetable oil.

Although this is the first such plant established in Africa, Eni has previously set-up agri-hubs in Kenya and Mozambique to supply its advanced biorefineries in Venice and Sicily (Gela) in Italy.

Processed into treated oil

At these refineries Eni’s subsidiary Enilive, in partnership with Honeywell UOP, uses its Ecofining process to convert biomaterial into clean drop-in Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) branded as HVOlution, which is sold at more than 1,200 Enilive stations in Italy and across Europe.

Eni started producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), marketed as Eni Biojet, at Gela in Sicily in January 2025. It is certified for up to 50% blending with traditional Jet A-1 fuel and is used by air cargo fleets like Poste Air Cargo and is expected to be adopted by commercial airlines under EU mandates.

Interestingly is the HVO will also be suitable for agricultural tractors, construction equipment and generators, especially in off-grid rural areas, including those near agri-hubs in Africa.

Dual benefit for local economy

According to the Republic of Congo’s Agriculture Minister Paul Ngobo, the extraction plant in Bouenza presents a dual benefit for the local economy.

“In addition to oil extraction, the facility is expected to repurpose the byproducts of soybean and sunflower meal into animal feed, directly bolstering local livestock farms and it is expected to boost growth in the country’s soybean and sunflower sectors,” he said.

Eni aims to cultivate 80,000 hectares of soy and sunflower by 2026 through a farmer supply program, connecting farmers to a high-value industrial market.

Image: Eni’s biorefinery at Gela in Sicily. Image credit: Eni

Read the full article on the WhyAfrica website.

Building European bridges  

I will be in Europe for a few months towards the end of 2025 and start of 2026 to report exclusively for WhyAfrica about the EU’s strategic push into Africa aimed at diversifying supply chains and securing access to vital critical minerals and other key natural resources.

Based in Rome, I will focus on the Mattei plan and have discussions with several Italian companies with an interest in Africa. Remember, WhyAfrica members will be able to follow all these conversations on the WhyAfrica WhatsApp channel. To become a WhyAfrica member click on the link and sign up in a few seconds   https://www.whyafrica.co.za/membership/

Eni’s biofuel programme gains traction in Africa