Preem begins coprocessing rapeseed oil at Lysekil refinery in Sweden

Photo: Preem AB

Sweden's largest fuel company, Preem AB, has begun coprocessing renewable diesel at its Lysekil petroleum refinery. As part of a larger project to rebuild the existing Synsat desulfurization hydrotreatment plant, the company has started to combine 5 percent rapeseed oil with petroleum product "for a limited period," Preem stated in mid-November. "This test process is within the conditions of the existing environmental permit and represents an important basis for the refinery's conversion."

Preem's goal is to produce up to 250 MMgy of renewable diesel by 2024.

"When the conversion is completed, the plant will be able to receive 40 percent renewable raw materials, with the ambition of eventually reaching even higher levels," the company stated. "The redevelopment will also mean that the corresponding amount of fossil raw material will be phased out of the Synsat plant."

Aad van Bedafand, manager of the Lysekil refinery, said, "We are now embarking on a comprehensive restructuring of the refinery in line with Preem's overall and long-term business strategy. It is gratifying to be able to start Lysekil's journey toward becoming a biofuel refinery."

By 2030, Preem says it will produce more than 1.3 billion gallons of renewable fuels and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Preem's two refineries are, according to the company, "among the most modern and environmentally friendly in Europe" with a refining capacity of nearly 4.8 billion gallons per year.