Topsoe technology to support Cresta’s renewable diesel, SAF production in Canada

Cresta Funds Management has chosen Topsoe’s HydroFlex™ solution for revamping the Braya Renewable Fuels refinery in Newfoundland, Canada. The refinery will produce up to 260 million gallons per year of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) initially and the capacity will increase further in various stages of expansion. Startup of the site for production of renewable fuels is expected in second half of this year.

The Braya refinery is strategically located, with world-class logistics assets, to source global feedstocks and to sell the produced renewable fuels into the U.S., Canada and Europe. The refinery will be world scale—one of the top-five largest in the world at startup, according to Topsoe. The refinery’s hydrocracker and diesel hydrotreater will be revamped to produce renewable diesel and SAF from various renewable feedstocks.

“We are proud to be part of this exciting refinery revamp with Cresta and to support their ambition to deliver renewable diesel and jet fuel for the local and global markets,” said Henrik Rasmussen, Topsoe’s managing director for the Americas.

In November, Cresta acquired a controlling interest in the Braya refinery, which before was known as North Atlantic Refining Co.

“We’re proud to be associated with this new chapter for the refinery as it fully transitions from fossil fuels to the production of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel fuels that will be critical to decarbonizing the aviation and heavy-transport sectors,” said Chris Rozzell, managing partner at Cresta. “We also applaud the concrete steps the government of Canada is taking to meet its climate objectives, and we look forward to a collaboration to position Braya Renewable Fuels to play a vital role in boosting the country’s capacity to produce clean fuels.”

With HydroFlex™, customers can convert low-value feedstocks into drop-in renewable jet and diesel that meets all of the globally accepted specifications for these fuels. The innovative HydroFlex™ process layout offers lower capital expenditure, but also a lower energy consumption during operation, resulting in a lower carbon intensity (CI) score. Topsoe’s HydroFlex™ can be deployed in both grassroots units and revamps for coprocessing or standalone applications.