In Bolivia, the government has announced that it intends to invest around US$250 million in the construction of a renewable diesel plant that will use used cooking oil (UCO), vegetable oils, and animal fats as feedstock. To be built at the state-owned Yacimiento Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) Guillermo Elder Bell refinery in Santa Cruz, the new unit is expected to produce around three million barrels of renewable diesel per annum.
According to an Agencia EFE news agency report, the announcement was made on March 3, 2021, at an event attended by President Luis Arce, the Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energies, Franklin Molina, and the head of the state-owned Yacimiento Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), Wilson Zelaya.
“We are taking a giant step in energy sovereignty,” President Arce is cited as saying underlying a key government objective of reducing dependence on imports while boosting the economy. The construction of this plant is the first “large renewable diesel production project” in the country.
The plant will be located at the YPFB Guillermo Elder Bell refinery Santa Cruz, and Minister Molina estimated that once completed, the plant will process up to 450 000 tonnes of raw material and will produce around three million barrels annually.
“This project will contribute to the change in the energy matrix and will save a significant amount of money on diesel imports,” Minister Molina was quoted as saying in the statement.
YPFB head Wilson Zelaya indicated that to carry out this project, YPFB has contacted companies from countries such as Denmark, the United States, and France to obtain information on scientific advances in this area. The plant will be made with “Bolivian talent and international allied companies”, without specifying which technology providers or a construction timeline.
The statement also noted that Bolivia is also looking into the large-scale production of bioethanol to replace the import of additives for gasoline or diesel
