Eni seeks approval for Sicily biorefinery, recycling plant

MILAN (Reuters) -Eni has started the environmental approval process to transform its industrial site in Priolo, Sicily, into a biorefinery and a chemical recycling plant for plastics, the Italian energy group said on Thursday.

Italy's energy ministry recently cleared the application to proceed with the project, which will use the area currently occupied by Eni's ethylene plant, set to be gradually decommissioned.

The move is part of Eni's plan to overhaul its chemical business by reducing exposure to petrochemical activities, which are under strain in Europe due to high production costs and ageing plants.

The state-controlled group pledged last year to invest 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) over five years to relaunch its loss-making chemical business Versalis by diversifying into biofuels, plastic recycling and speciality chemicals.

The new biorefinery will produce 500,000 metric tons per year of fuel from vegetable and animal waste, including diesel for transport and SAF-biojet for aviation.

The Priolo site will be Sicily's second biorefinery after Gela, which has operated since 2019. Completion is expected by the end of 2028.

The recycling plant will use a new technology, dubbed Hoop, that makes it possible to convert mixed plastic waste into a feedstock that can be used to produce new plastic materials suitable for all applications, including food-contact packaging and pharmaceutical packaging.

The Priolo facility will be the first industrial-scale plant using this technology, following a demo unit launched in Mantua in June.

($1 = 0.8602 euros)

(Reporting by Francesca LandiniEditing by Mark Potter)