Eni Launches Its First Agri-Hub in the Republic of the Congo

(Eni) The initiative marks the beginning of industrial-scale vegetable oil production for biorefining. -- In the presence of the President of the Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, and of a delegation of Eni managers led by Eni’s Chief Operating Officer Global Natural Resources and General Manager, Guido Brusco, the company inaugurated in Loudima, in the central-southern part of the Republic of the Congo, the first vegetable oil extraction plant in the country. The production will be destined to Enilive’s biorefineries, where it will be transformed into biofuel to help decarbonize transport sectors, as part of Eni’s sustainable mobility strategy.

With the launch of the Loudima agri-hub, the country takes on an active role in the biofuel production chain, in line with Eni’s strategic path to achieve net zero emissions from its products and processes by 2050.

The Loudima agri-hub, with a capacity of 30,000 tons per year of vegetable oil, will be supplied by oil crops grown on degraded and underutilized land or through intercropping systems, as part of an innovative regenerative agriculture project developed in collaboration with local stakeholders.

The vegetable oils produced in Congo are certified according to the strictest criteria established by the European Directive on biofuels (Renewable Energy Directive, RED), ensuring traceability, sustainability of the production process, and respect for biodiversity, human rights, and labor conditions.

The project represents a significant development opportunity for Congo’s agro-industrial sector. Eni supports the local agribusiness value chain through the provision of advanced mechanization services and improved seeds. Around 200 new machines will be used in the project, half of which have already been imported and are being used in the current agricultural campaign. In addition to farmer training programs, the initiative will foster the creation of new specialized skills in mechanization, logistics, and industrial processes, involving around 400 tractor operators. These factors will significantly contribute to the country’s agricultural revival and promote the socio-economic development of rural areas.

The Loudima agri-hub will also produce vegetable proteins for livestock feed, creating further development opportunities for the agri-food sector and contributing to food security.

The initiative complements other Eni activities aimed at promoting the energy transition in the Republic of the Congo, including the improved cookstove program, which helps reduce indoor pollution and the unsustainable consumption of biomass, while improving the quality of life for the communities involved. The program has already reached more than 300,000 people.

Eni has been present in Congo since 1968. Today, it is the only company involved in developing the country’s significant gas resources and supplies gas to the Congo Power Plant (CEC), which provides 70% of the country’s electricity production. In 2023, the company also inaugurated the Oyo Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and supports numerous projects to improve access to education and healthcare, as well as economic diversification. READ MORE; includes VIDEO

Excerpt from Rigzone: In May Eni said it had signed an agreement with Cote d’Ivoire’s Agriculture Ministry to explore the potential of cultivating biofuel crops in the West African country.

The memorandum of understanding “aims to enhance the rubber (hevea) supply chain and to assess the introduction of oilseed crops on marginal and degraded lands, thereby contributing to the country's sustainable agricultural development without competing with food production and forest ecosystem”, Eni said May 28.

Eni said an existing project in collaboration with the Ivorian Federation of Rubber Producers is already “enabling the valorization of rubber residues - a crop widely cultivated in the country - by transforming them into raw materials for biofuel production, generating economic and social benefits for thousands of farmers”.

Last year Eni launched Eni Natural Energies Cote d’Ivoire, which it said is “dedicated to developing sustainable supply chains of agricultural raw materials for the company’s biorefineries”. READ MORE