Slovnaft’s Bratislava refinery advances renewable fuels production

MOL Group subsidiary Slovnaft AS has achieved first production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) at its 6.1-million tonne/year (tpy) integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Bratislava, Slovakia.

As part of a testing program for production of alternative fuels that began more than a year ago, the Bratislava refinery has produced SAF and HVO—or biodiesel—to required specifications via co-processing of conventional and renewable feedstocks within existing units at the site, MOL Group and Slovnaft said in separate mid-February releases.

Successful completion of the production tests confirms the Bratislava complex’s readiness for larger-scale production of both alternative reduced-carbon fuels using current production units at the refinery, the companies said. 

Undertaken over the course of the past year, Slovnaft’s SAF and HVO production tests at Bratislava comes as part of parent MOL Group’s long-term +2030 Shape Tomorrow strategy to simultaneously ensure supply security while transforming its traditional fossil fuel-based operations into a low-carbon, sustainable business model, the companies said.

"The fact that Slovnaft has passed this test is a confirmation of our position as an important player in the [Central and Eastern Europe] region,” said Gabriel, vice-chairman of Slovnaft’s board and downstream vice-president of the MOL Group.

“The competence in chemical production that we have acquired over [the company’s long history] must be preserved and developed in line with where the company is moving and what kind of future we want to create," Szabó added.

While neither Slovnaft nor MOL Group confirmed the volume of SAF and HVO produced during the testing, the companies did confirm the finished products’ conformity to required quality specifications was validated by Isotoptech LP’s Isotoptech Zrt., an elemental and radioanalytical laboratory measurement services based in Hungary.

Official plans for scaling up production of SAF and HVO at Bratislava have yet to be revealed.

Production testing details

Slovnaft completed production of HVO at yearend 2024 via co-processing of renewable-based oil derived from cashew nut shells in an existing unit at the site designed for production of conventional diesel, said Róbert Hurný, the company’s director of downstream development.
Testing for SAF was carried out in an existing unit for production of standard aviation kerosine via co-processing of partially refined cooking oil, according to the operator.

Slovnaft said it carried out SAF production testing in collaboration with the aeronautics faculty of Slovakia’s Technical University of Košice.