Bioplastics producer Novamont inks joint venture with Eni

03-Jun-11

Eni and Novamont Spa signed a joint venture that, under the banner of Green Chemistry, will relaunch one of the key areas of research and innovation of the Italian economy. The NewCo’s mission will consist in designing, building and managing a new Green Centre at the Porto Torres petrochemical plant - owned by Polimeri Europa/Syndial (Eni). Under the agreement, Novamont technologies and renewable raw materials will be used to build new production facilities for bio monomers, bio lubricants, bio fillers, bio intermediates/additives for elastomers and bioplastics. It will be the world's first biorefinery integrated into the local area. Particularly important aspects of the project include: 1. full environmental compatibility in all stages of the production cycle, in use and at end-of-life; 2. strategic connection with the local area by specifically selecting and growing local crops which guarantee access to raw materials of agricultural origin, with the reuse of waste a priority; 3. sustainability of the facilities in terms of their size and energy requirements; 4. importance of research and technology in developing new processes and products. Eni (through Polimeri Europa) and Novamont, via the NewCo, plan to build new €500 million facilities at the "Porto Torres Green Centre". Novamont's contribution to the NewCo will be to provide its proprietary technologies for the design, building and operation of the new facilities. Eni will provide the site, the infrastructures and skilled labour. On the development side, it will bring its vast industrial experience and its technical, engineering and commercial skills and expertise. There will be three stages to the investment in the Porto Torres Green Centre: 1. building of the facilities to produce bio monomers for bioplastics, bio lubricants and bio intermediates/additives for elastomers; 2. building of the facilities to produce bio fillers and bio intermediates/additives for elastomers; 3. building of the stage 1 facilities with greater capacity and a bioplastics plant.