The Italian firm Eni S.p.A. will advance its renewable fuels and decarbonization initiatives in Angola and the Republic of Congo.
In Angola, the company will cooperate with Angola's National Oil, Gas and Biofuel's Agency (ANPG) and Sonangol for the joint development of the agro-biofuel sector by developing a de-carbonization path through a circular economy approach, assessing, mostly, the development of low-ILUC (indirect land‐use change) cultivations such as castor beans on degraded lands and cover crops in rotation with cereals.
In Congo, Eni will work together with the government on the joint development of the agro-biofuel sector in the country. It has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will open a new area of activity for Eni in Congo, in support of the Congolese National Development Plan for Agriculture 2018-2022.
The MoU sets the principles for the industrial-scale production of castor oil which will provide feedstock for Eni’s bio-refinery system, along with creating employment opportunities and expanding agricultural activities to marginal and abandoned lands, avoiding impacts on agricultural areas and activities currently destined for food production.
The pilot phase for the Congo projects is scheduled to start in October with castor bean sowing activities on over 200 hectares of land, and up to 1,000 targeted beneficiaries. The industrial development phase is projected to see cultivations on 150,000 hectares with 90,000 estimated beneficiaries by 2030.
