Total ready to start-up its HVO biorefinery in La Mède
Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.
After several delays, the HVO
biorefinery of Total in La Mède will
begin production in the following days, according to Reuters.
Reuters news: “Total
to move ahead with using palm oil at biodiesel refinery”, 29/5/2019.
Related post: “Total
selects Axens technology for its biorefinery in La Mède”, 23/10/2015.
Figure 1. Total refining complex in La Mède
The project began in 2015, with a planned
start-up date of summer 2018. However, last summer, it sparked opposition from
farmers producing vegetable oil and from environmental activists. The first
ones expressed concern about palm oil competing with locally produced vegetable
oil whereas the second ones cited the deforestation caused in producing it. Partly,
the controversy stirred up by erroneous reports that crude palm oil could
account for as much as 450,000 tons a year (nearly 70%) of the site’s
feedstock.
The company was forced to spell out in more detail
the supply plan. The biorefinery will have a processing capacity of 650,000
tons per year and it is authorized to use up to 450,000 tons of raw vegetable
oil for its feedstock supply. The mix will consist of 60 to 70% raw vegetable
oil from sources as diverse as rapeseed, sunflower, soybean, palm, corn and
carinata. The facility will also process 30 to 40% animal fat, used cooking oil
and other residues. That share is expected to grow over the years based on the
availability of such alternative resources. And, also, Total pledged to
restrict crude palm oil to less than half of the feedstock that will be
processed on site (no more than 300,000 tons per year).
