Brazil-headed biodiesel producer BSBIOS, part of ECB Group, has announced that it is investing in the European renewable fuels market with the acquisition of a Swiss biodiesel producer. The deal is part of BSBIOS’ overall strategic plan to invest in sustainable businesses that will position the company amongst the world's three largest biofuel producers by 2030.
According to a statement, on March 1, 2022, BSBIOS acquired 100 percent of MP Biodiesel, a Swiss biodiesel plant located in Domdidier, in the Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Located 121 km from BSBIOS Switzerland’s headquarters in Geneva, MP Biodiesel was founded in 2005 by two canola (aka rapeseed) farmers, Hans Müller and Jean-Luc Pellaux, who then decided to build a biodiesel plant based on their own feedstock production.
They each have a half share in MP Biodiesel and manage the enterprise. The company is 100 percent automated and has the annual capacity to produce 5.6 million litres of biodiesel.
As part of the agreement, the owners will support the transition for a period of two years.
BSBIOS Switzerland a new investment platform
The acquisition of MP Biodiesel marks a new stage in the company’s insertion in the international market, with emphasis on the European market.
The transaction is part of the strategic planning, which establishes an investment plan in sustainable business with the objective of positioning the company among the three largest biofuels producers in the world.
The group had already been developing its commercial relations with Europe from a subsidiary in Switzerland for five years and, in May 2021, it became part of BSBIOS.
BSBIOS Switzerland is a holding company platform to represent in Europe the investments in advanced biofuels, contributing to achieving the ambitious targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions approved by the European Union (EU).
We are proud to take this further step, which reaffirms our orientation to internationalize BSBIOS. With the operation, we become a multinational producer of renewable fuel, trading and operating second-generation biofuels. The operation in the country has growth potential and the plant is located in the center of Europe, which gives us a strategic position on the continent, Erasmo Carlos Battistella, CEO of BSBIOS and President of ECB Group, explained.
Used cooking oil feedstock
According to Battistella, biodiesel production also plays an important local role in providing an environmental solution to the issue of the proper disposal of Used Cooking Oil (UCO).
Following the requirement of the local legislation, the plant uses exclusively UCO from canola and, to a lesser extent, sunflower oil as raw material.
The company is already investing and we will expand the structure for collecting and receiving UCO in Switzerland because the strategy is aligned with our goal of investing and generating value in sustainable businesses, said Battistella.
Another highlight is the quality of the biodiesel produced, which has the cold filter plugging point (CFPP) at -20ºC. In Switzerland, the minimum blend of biofuel to fossil diesel is 7 percent (B7).
BSBIOS plans to make investments in the next six months to improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process, in addition to expanding the capacity and training the sales team.
The BSBIOS team is also studying the expansion of supply in the short term through partnerships with distribution networks and the expansion of the supply structure.
