22 May Acelen to launch SAF biorefinery project in Brazil
Brazilian refiner Acelen, owned by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, has secured $1.5 billion to begin construction of a biofuels refinery in the northeastern state of Bahia, the company said on Thursday. Part of the investment will be financed by a group of 10 financial institutions, led by HSBC and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation.
The refinery is expected to start operations in 2029 and produce up to 1 billion liters per year of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel.
The full project is set to cost around $3 billion, and it includes the cultivation of macauba, a native Brazilian oilseed that will be used in biofuel production, alongside more traditional feedstocks such as soybean oil and used cooking oil.
Acelen, the Mubadala Capital energy company responsible for managing the Mataripe Refinery, has been consolidating a trajectory of gains in operational efficiency and asset valuation over four years of operation in Bahia.
In 2025, the unit recorded an 11% reduction in total energy consumption (MMBTU/bbl) compared to 2022 (considering all sources: steam, electricity, and natural gas). This energy is similar to the entire residential consumption of a state like Roraima. Furthermore, when considering the consumption profile of the same period, some of the thermal energy was converted into electricity (cleaner energy), which corresponded to a reduction of approximately 10% in steam consumption and contributed to a 4% reduction in CO2 emissions .
As part of this process, the company implemented a project to modernize the lighting system, replacing more than 10,000 light fixtures with LED technology, resulting in an estimated 70% reduction in the system’s electricity consumption.. Related News
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