Todays Latest Updates: 28 April 2026

Biofuels: Italy. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Eni signed a 15-year loan for €500 million to convert selected units of Eni’s Sannazzaro de’ Burgondi refinery, located in the Italian province of Pavia, into a biorefinery. With its proprietary Ecofining™ technology, Enilive produces HVO – a biofuel made from renewable feedstocks (pursuant to the EU Renewable Energy Directive) such as used cooking oils and waste from the agri-food industry. Pure HVO can be used in approved engines, and is already available at more than 1,600 Enilive service stations across Europe. From 2028, the Sannazzaro plant will start producing HVO diesel biofuels and the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) biojet, with a production capacity of around 550,000 tonnes per year. Link  28/04/2026.

Biogas: Spain. the TECHNALIA applied research and technological development center has developed and patented a millichannel reactor that allows to directly obtain synthetic natural gas from biogas, through the conversion of the CO2 it contains. This system improves the overall efficiency of the upgrading process, achieving a methane concentration at the output of more than 95% in a single step. This reactor, designed to intensify the CO2 methaneation reaction present in the biogas, is based on a millimeter architecture that provides heat and mass transfer coefficients much higher than those of conventional reactors, avoiding the formation of hot spots and allowing to operate stably even under dynamic conditions. Link 28/04/2026.

Ethanol: South Africa. UPL will invest $1 billion in an ethanol plant that will utilize sugarcane and maize as a feedstock and support the development of an integrated agricultural and energy value chain. The project has significant potential, including the cultivation of approximately 400,000 hectares of sweet sorghum and the production of up to 1.3 billion litres of bioethanol annually. This will inject significant amounts of money directly back to small and large scale farmers. Link 28/04/2026.

Feedstock: New Zealand. Genesis Energy and Nature’s Flame have signed an agreement to advance feasibility investigations and negotiations on the production and supply of torrefied biomass for electricity generation at Huntly Power Station. Nature’s Flame already produces white pellets at its plant in Taupō. This agreement marks the start of formal investigations into the economics of adding a torrefaction facility to produce black pellets and confirm the intended key terms for a supply agreement. Genesis and Nature’s Flame have agreed to a collaborative approach to these investigations. Link. 28/04/2026.

Hydrogen: Paraguay. Atome has taken final investment decision on its 145MW green hydrogen-based fertiliser plant in Paraguay after finalising a $665m debt and equity package. The Villeta project, which has been planned since 2021, is now due online by October 2029 and will supply fertiliser major Yara with the full 260,000 tonnes per year of green calcium ammonium nitrate it produces under a 10-year deal. It will use 100% hydropower to generate green hydrogen, which will be combined with nitrogen to produce the ammonia-based fertiliser. Atome said the project will “displace” 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually compared with conventional production. Link 28/04/2026.