Refinaria Riograndense, based in Rio Grande, Brazil, aims to produce 16,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Topsoe will deliver its HydroFlex™ and H2bridge™ technologies, enabling SAF and renewable diesel production from soybean oil and tallow feedstocks.
When Refinaria Riograndense’s plant is in full operation, Topsoe’s technology will expectedly enable an annual emission avoidance of more than 2 million tonnes of CO2e – the equivalent of avoiding the emissions from more than 240.000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for a year.
The plant is expected to be operational in first half of 2028.
Topsoe, a global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies, has signed an agreement with Refinaria de Petróleo Riograndense SA (Riograndense), to provide its HydroFlex™ and H2bridge™ technologies for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel production at Riograndense’s Rio Grande renewable fuels plant in Brazil.
The production addresses the rapidly growing demand for SAF. As cited by the International Energy Agency’s Net Zero Scenario, over 10% of fuel consumption in aviation needs to be SAF by 20301 to stay on course for net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. In 2023, the International Air Transport Association estimated global SAF production to make up only around 0.2% of total jet fuel demand2.
Elena Scaltritti, Chief Commercial Officer at Topsoe, said:
“With Brazil setting ambitious airline emissions reduction targets in October this year, Riograndense is one of the country’s early movers to ensure SAF supply is available for airline operators on-time. We look forward to partnering with Riograndense to grow the supply of renewable fuels in Brazil.”
Felipe Jorge, Managing Director at Riograndense, said:
“We believe Topsoe is the right partner for Riograndense to progress towards the total conversion to a biorefinery, which will allow us to become a reference in the SAF production in Brazil. “
The agreement with Riograndense follows a number of wins announced by Topsoe for the roll-out of its HydroFlex™ technology, including HOLBORN’s Hamburg renewable fuels refinery, Braya Renewable Fuels’ Come By Chance plant in Canada, Cepsa Bioenergia San Roque’s Palos de la Frontera plant in Spain, and Guangxi Hongkun Biomass in China.
