LISBON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Portugal's Galp Energia expects to begin producing biodiesel and biojet fuel from waste in an industrial-scale unit it is developing at its Sines refinery in 2026, the company, which is primarily an oil manufacturer and refiner, stated on Thursday.
Last year Galp participated in a 75%-25% joint venture with Japan's Mitsui to invest 400 million euros ($415 million) in the Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) plant, which will have a production capability of 270,000 metric lots per year.
It will change waste products, such as utilized cooking oils, into eco-friendly biodiesel and biojet fuel, also known as sustainable air travel fuel (SAF), using green hydrogen produced by an electrolyser powered by wind or solar energy.
Galp said in a declaration it got on Wednesday the 3 reactors to process biofuels, which will permit the HVO unit to "produce SAF and biodiesel in 2026 ... putting Galp at the forefront of developing low-carbon services important for the energy transition".
Galp is likewise investing 250 million euros in a 100 megawatt (MW) electrolyser system to produce green hydrogen to power the refinery in Sines. ($1 = 0.9637 euros) (Reporting by Sergio Goncalves;-RRB-