BP, Nuseed enter into long-term feedstock agreement for carinata oil

Nuseed and BP Products North America Inc. have entered into a long-term strategic offtake and market development agreement that will see BP or its affiliates purchase Nuseed carinata oil to process or sell into growing markets for the production of sustainable biofuels.

Nuseed carinata is a nonfood cover crop that can be used to produce low-carbon biofuel feedstock that is independently certified, sustainable and scalable.

Increased global demand for biofuels is being driven by the need to access sustainable sources of energy to help achieve global greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets.

“Sustainable biofuels have a vital role to play in decarbonizing transport,” said Carol Howle, executive vice president of trading and shipping at BP. “By working with Nuseed, we can use their sustainable feedstock to help decarbonize challenging transportation sectors such as aviation, supporting the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other biofuels.”

Brent Zacharias, an executive with Nuseed, said, “Nuseed carinata is a proven, drop-in solution for biofuel processors that’s ready to scale globally on existing farmland between main food crops. Nuseed carinata demonstrates how agriculture and energy companies can work together to meet demand for biofuels that lower lifecycle carbon emissions. This agreement enables us to accelerate the expansion of carinata production to increase biofuel feedstock sustainably, while supporting higher economic returns on Nuseed’s investment in the carinata platform.”

The agreement is for an initial 10-year term and will see Nuseed continue to develop and expand its existing network of growers, channel and supply-chain partners to deliver carinata oil to BP or its affiliates, with key steps of crop production independently audited and certified. The carinata oil will be processed by BP or affiliates through its biorefining footprint and also sold into growing markets for the production of sustainable biofuels, utilizing the global reach of BP’s trading and shipping team to accelerate market adoption of Nuseed carinata as a sustainable biofuel feedstock.

Nuseed is currently increasing commercial production in Argentina and planning expansion programs in South America and the U.S. Initial research and market development programs are also underway in Europe and Australia. BP expects to initially target low-carbon biofuel markets in Europe and North America.

“The agreement between BP and Nuseed will assist with the rapid expansion of production, with BP standing as a committed buyer of feedstock and marketer of resulting fuels,” Zacharias said.

BP is already active in the biofuels supply chain. It produces renewable diesel from biomass-based feedstocks, including in the U.S., where it recently announced a project to expand renewable diesel production capability to an estimated 109 million gallons a year in 2022. Globally, the BP group aims to more than double its bioenergy portfolio by 2025 and quadruple it by 2030, compared to 2019.