Royal Dutch Shell has announced its plans to build an 820,000-tonnes-a-year biofuels facility located at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park, Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. The facility was formerly known as the Pernis refinery. The project will entail building one of the biggest biofuel facilities in Europe, with an aim to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel made from waste.
The renewable diesel produced by the facility is enough to circumvent 2,800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. Using advanced production methods, the facility will produce fuels which will help meet emission targets of Shell and the national clean energy targets of various European countries. It will use technology to capture carbon emissions from the manufacturing process and store them in an empty gas field beneath the North Sea through the Porthos project. With Shell’s commitment to a low-carbon future, this investment aims to transform the Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam from a traditional refinery into a sustainable energy park. The project is anticipated to attract large investments each year during construction and subsequently, create hundreds of jobs. The facility is expected to start production in 2024.
Shell is transforming its refineries into five energy and chemical parks, as part of its Powering Progress strategy. In July 2021, the first such park was announced as the Energy and Chemicals Park in Rheinland, Germany. Shell has a target to reduce its production of traditional fuels by 55 per cent by 2030. It is now moving towards low-carbon fuels such as produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel and hydrogen.
