German refinery lets EPC contract for new renewable fuels complex

HOLBORN Europa Raffinerie GMBH has enlisted Maire SPA’s Rome-based subsidiaries KT-Kinetics Technology SPA and NextChem SPA to jointly provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for a grassroots renewable fuels production complex to be built inside the operator’s existing 5-million tonne/year (tpy) refinery in Hamburg, Germany.

As part of the mid-June contract, the Maire subsidiaries will deliver EPC for an hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) complex designed to produce 220,000 tpy of high-quality HVO—or green diesel—and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using biomass-based waste and residue feedstocks sourced from the agribusiness industry, HOLBORN and Maire said in separate releases.

Alongside EPC services for the proposed complex’s HVO plant, Maire confirmed its subsidiaries’ scope of delivery also covers a planned pretreatment unit for renewable feedstocks, as well as infrastructure to connect the new complex with existing refining operations.

To be equipped with low-carbon hydrogen for its production processes, the new HVO complex is scheduled for startup in 2027.

Maire valued the EPC contract at about $400 million.

While further details regarding the project have yet to be revealed, the proposed development comes as part of HOLBORN’s broader program to reduce emissions and increase supplies of sustainable fuels such as renewable diesel and SAF in line with the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED III).

“This project is an important step in HOLBORN's long-term transformation process, which aims to replace crude oil with alternative raw materials as part of our growth strategy. In doing so, we are focusing on renewable and circular solutions,” said Lars Bergmann, managing director of HOLBORN’s Hamburg refinery.

“By becoming a producer of sustainable fuels, we are expanding our scope of operations and implementing innovative technologies that reduce our carbon footprint,” Bergmann added.