Shell to buy more than 660 million gallons of renewable diesel, SAF from ECB Group’s Paraguay plant

ECB Group Paraguay and Shell Trading (US) Co. have signed a multiyear contract in late January that will provide more than 132 MMgy of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Shell. The contract is expected to start in 2024 when ECB Group’s Omega Green biorefinery in Paraguay is slated to open. The renewable diesel and SAF complex will be capable of producing more than 300 MMgy.

"We are delighted to have Shell as our single-largest offtaker,” said Erasmo Carlos Battistella, founder and CEO of the ECB Group. “With Shell’s well-known focus on decarbonization initiatives, it makes perfect sense for us to work together to provide renewable fuels solutions, especially in the road transportation and aviation sectors. This agreement also positions the Omega Green state-of-the-art biorefinery as a major producer to supply a growing demand for low carbon fuels.”

The ECB Group, led by Battistella, is a leading Brazilian producer of biodiesel with an annual capacity of 218 million gallons.

“Biofuels must play a key role in achieving a net-zero emissions energy system, but collaboration is critical if the world’s supply and use of these low-carbon fuels is to become more widespread,” said Odeh Khoury, Shell vice president for products trading and supply for the Americas. “We are pleased to work with ECB Group to supply low-carbon biofuels to meet the demand for cleaner energy from our customers around the globe. By combining ECB’s production capabilities and regional presence with Shell’s global biofuels trading expertise, we are able to bring a significant volume of renewable fuels into the global market.”

The ECB Group venture to build and operate the Omega Green biorefinery includes contractor Honeywell UOP, Crown Iron Works and Acciona.

Earlier this month, ECB Group signed a multiyear offtake contract with BP.