Construction of Bolivia’s 2nd state-owned biodiesel plant nears completion
Bolivia’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy announced March 5 that a state-owned and government-funded biodiesel plant in El Alto in Bolivia’s Senkata region, named “Héroes de Senkata” and simply dubbed “Biodiesel Plant 2,” is in the final phase of its execution.
Through the state-owned petroleum company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos, Bolivia is investing more than USD$66 million in Biodiesel Plant 2, which the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy said is “fundamental infrastructure that will contribute to the country's energy security.”
The project is part of the country’s energy-transition policy and reduction of dependence on fuel imports.
The plant will have a production capacity of 1,500 barrels of biodiesel per day, or approximately 22 million gallons a year (mgy).
In March 2024, YPFB started up Biodiesel Plant 1 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, which, “after passing the testing stages and dynamic verifications to ensure proper performance, is now producing biodiesel,” the ministry said.
Production capacity at Biodiesel Plant 1 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra is similar to the facility in El Alto.
The ministry said the operation of both plants will help Bolivia reduce dependence on diesel imports and promote the use of biofuels.
Feedstock used at Biodiesel Plant 2 will be 98 percent vegetable oils and 2 percent used cooking oil, “thus promoting the circular economy and contributing to the reduction of environmental impact,” the ministry stated.
In addition to the two biodiesel plants, the ministry has also previously discussed a renewable diesel production facility in development in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, with a capacity of approximately 130 mgy.
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