Energy giant bp and global agriculture technology company Corteva have announced the launch of Etlas, a new 50:50 joint venture aimed at producing seed-based feedstock for biofuels such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (RD).

A statement by the companies said the new platform aims to provide a reliable and scalable feedstock source as demand for biofuels is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years, with SAF demand anticipated to scale from approximately 1 million tonnes in 2024 to as much as 10 million tonnes by 2030, and for RD demand to double over the same period to 35 million tonnes.

The new platform will produce oil from crops such as sunflower, mustard and canola, to be used in the production of biofuels, combining Corteva’s expertise in seed technology to develop crops ideally suited to produce SAF and RD, and bp’s expertise in refining and marketing fuel for the commercial transportation market. 

Etlas will be led by Corteva’s Global Business Development Director, Mr Ignacio Conti, as CEO, and Mr Gaurav Sonar, Vice President of Novel Feedstocks at bp as Chair of the Board of Directors.

(Courtesy: EPG Today)

According to bp and Corteva, the new platform aims to begin supplying feedstock for biofuels in 2027, and to produce one million metric tonnes of feedstock per year by the mid-2030s, which could produce over 800 thousand tonnes of biofuel.