LG Chem, Enilive break ground on renewable diesel, SAF plant in South Korea
- Eni S.p.A.
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
LG Chem and Enilive have taken a major step toward biofuels growth by breaking ground on Korea’s first hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production plant in LG Chem’s Daesan Chemical Complex located in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, 50 miles southwest of Seoul.
The plant is going to be constructed by the LG Chem and Enilive joint venture—LG-Eni BioRefining—and is scheduled for completion in 2027.
The facility will process approximately 400,000 tons of renewable biofeedstock per year.
The HVO and SAF, whose demand is expected to surge driven by renewable fuel mandates, will be made by hydrotreating sustainable vegetable oils such as used cooking oil (UCO) and other waste and residues through the Ecofining™ process, a technology developed by Eni in collaboration with Honeywell UOP.
Taking into account the entire product value chain, HVO and SAF greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions are significantly reduced compared to traditional fossil fuels.
“LG Chem is transforming its portfolio to build a low-carbon foundation that ensures both a progressively more sustainable growth and profitability,” said Shin Hak-cheol, CEO of LG Chem. “By advancing innovation in renewable fuels and biobased feedstocks like HVO, we aim to strengthen our global competitiveness and meet our customers’ evolving needs efficiently.”
Enilive CEO Stefano Ballista added, “The Seosan biorefinery breaking ground reaffirms Enilive’s strategy in offering increasingly sustainable products and our company’s position as a leader in biofuels production. Together with the plants that are already operational in Italy and in the United States of America, and with new biorefining plants under construction in Italy and Malaysia, the upcoming biorefining plant in Daesan will contribute to reach our 2030 target to increase our biorefining capacity to over 5 million tons per year, with the potential to produce more than 2 million tons per year of SAF.”
With the construction of Korea’s first HVO/SAF facility, Eni said LG Chem reinforces its role as a leader in more sustainable innovations, contributing to the global transition to renewable energy while progressing toward a net-zero future.
By integrating HVO into its supply chain, LG Chem plans to reduce carbon emissions and expand its portfolio of ISCC Plus-certified biocircular-balanced (BCB) products.
Target applications include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) for electronics and automobiles, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) for sporting goods and super-absorbent polymers (SAP) for hygiene products.
