Eni in collaboration to develop an agro-industrial supply chain for energy use in Italy
Eni and BF have signed a collaboration agreement to evaluate the development of crops for energy use in Italy, recovering degraded, abandoned or polluted land, without competing with the food chain.
“Today we are strengthening our collaboration with BF on a great potential project for the country as it aims to regenerate marginal areas, such as contaminated or degraded ones, and at the same time promotes rural development and integration with the energy industry which supports decarbonisation of transport”, said Claudio Descalzi, Chief Executive Officer of Eni.
“The alliance between Eni and BF is consolidated with Progetto Italia which demonstrates the essential role of agriculture in the diversification of energy sources. In addition to the research and development activities of the JV in our company in Sardinia, we are starting today to a new initiative which involves the study and subsequent production of the first 2,000 national hectares of land used for the cultivation of oilseeds. The project will enhance abandoned areas of the country, recovering and inserting them in a virtuous circuit which at the same time will give Italian agricultural entrepreneurs new diversification opportunities for their activities”, declared Federico Vecchioni, CEO of BF Spa.
“Coldiretti strongly supports this initiative which will help us bring abandoned land back to production in a circular economy project. Agriculture wants to play a central role in the ecological transition path and guarantee new energy sources for all citizens, once again reiterating the social value of our work” said the president of Coldiretti Ettore Prandini while adding that “with Eni, BF and Consorzi Agrari d’Italia (CAI) we will also work to disseminate digital technologies and precision agriculture that will help the project to be even more sustainable”.
The agreement has a first study-phase, to evaluate the sustainability and competitiveness of an agro-industrial chain to be jointly developed aiming at recovering the marginal areas identified in the Country through the development of sustainable agronomic practices. In early 2023 a pilot phase will be launched, by cultivating seeds such as safflower and brassica from which to extract the vegetable oil to be sent to Eni’s biorefineries, for subsequent transformation into biofuels.
The agricultural productions will respond to the ISCC voluntary certification scheme (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) to guarantee the sustainability and traceability requirements of the products in accordance with the relevant European legislation.
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