Abandonment of a bioplastics project: TotalEnergies wants to produce more sustainable aviation fuel at Grandpuits

TotalEnergies announced on Wednesday June 7 its intention to further increase the production capacity of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) to 285.000 tonnes per year at its Grandpuits biorefinery following the abandonment of a bioplastics manufacturing project. .

The conversion of the former TotalEnergies refinery in Grandpuits began in September 2020 with the installation of a biorefinery, a plastic recycling unit and a biodegradable plastic production site, a photovoltaic power plant as well than a hydrogen production unit.

TotalEnergies explained on Wednesday that it had "taken note of the decision of its partner Corbion to end the bioplastics production project due to rising costs", announced today in a separate press release by the Dutch producer of lactic acid.

“Corbion announces today that it will no longer pursue its project for a bioplastics factory in Grandpuis” after a “new financial study”, explains the company.

TotalEnergies nevertheless confirms "the maintenance of 250 jobs on site in accordance with the commitments made in September 2020".

Grandpuits "will be a major site in France for the production of sustainable aviation fuel" to meet European objectives to use more SAF in air transport, said Bernard Pinatel, general manager of the Refining-Chemicals branch of TotalEnergies.

In 2020, the group aimed to produce 170.000 tonnes of SAF at Grandpuits in 2024, out of 400.000 tonnes of different fuels in total for the site - a target raised to 210.000 tonnes per year in September 2022.

This is a small part of the 300 million tons of SAF produced in 2022 worldwide. Production must more than double to meet European targets for the use of these fuels, seen as the main solution for reducing the environmental impact of air transport.

In April, the European Union unveiled an agreement that calls for 2% use of SAF by 2025, then 6% in 2030, with a gradual increase to 70% by 2050.