The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Eni have finalised a 15-year, €500 million loan agreement to convert portions of the Sannazzaro de’ Burgondi refinery in Pavia, Italy, into a world-class biorefinery. The deal, signed by EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi, aims to bolster Europe’s sustainable mobility and energy security.
The conversion project focuses on repurposing the refinery’s Hydrocracker (HDC2) unit using proprietary Ecofining™ technology. Additionally, a new pre-treatment plant will be constructed to process waste materials such as used cooking oils, animal fats, and agri-food industry residues. These feedstocks will be transformed by Enilive, Eni’s sustainable mobility arm, into Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) biofuels.
Scheduled to begin production in 2028, the Sannazzaro plant is expected to yield approximately 550,000 tonnes of HVO diesel and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) annually. This transition is a critical component of Enilive’s broader strategy to reach 5 million tonnes of biofuel capacity by 2030, supporting the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation and the EU’s RED III emissions targets.
“This financing represents strategic support for a project with high environmental and industrial value, contributing to the decarbonisation of the transport sector, particularly aviation. Through this initiative, the EIB aims to strengthen Europe’s capacity to produce advanced fuels and to promote the circular and sustainable use of resources,” said Gelsomina Vigliotti, EIB Vice-President.
“We see biorefining and biofuels as a fundamental component to support the progressive decarbonisation of transport – applicable across all segments of the sector, and already well aligned with existing demand. We are the second largest producer of biofuels in Europe and are working on three refinery conversions in Italy. This follows the completion of two others in Venice and Gela, which are already making a major contribution towards a more environmentally sustainable supply for the transport sector,” said Claudio Descalzi, Eni CEO.
This project follows a similar €500 million agreement reached in July 2025 for the Livorno refinery. As SAF remains the primary solution for decarbonising the aviation sector, the Sannazzaro conversion will play a pivotal role in meeting the anticipated surge in demand for low-carbon fuels across Europe.
