Terviva secures investment from Idemitsu to scale pongamia production as SAF feedstock

Terviva Inc., an agricultural-innovation company working with farmers to grow and harvest pongamia for food, feed and fuel, announced in January a strategic investment from integrated energy company Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd.

Idemitsu, in partnership with Terviva and Stanmore, an Australia-based coal-resource company, is beginning a trial plantation of Terviva’s pongamia in Queensland, Australia.

This collaboration leverages Terviva’s scalable tree production and Idemitsu’s expertise in fuels to accelerate the global production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with oil from Terviva’s proprietary pongamia technology.

Terviva has developed a model that ensures high yields for farmers and a robust end market for the entire pongamia bean, while Idemitsu’s industry knowledge streamlines the path to market for the oil as SAF.

Pongamia is recognized for its ability to serve as a feedstock for SAF using hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) technology.

Through this trial planting, Idemitsu Kosan will gain an understanding of growing pongamia in a nontypical cropping area, and work on development and optimization of the supply chain for SAF production.

Additionally, the company will explore the creation of carbon credits through afforestation, the production of black pellets from shells for biomass power plants, the use of pressed seed pomace as livestock feed, and other uses beyond feedstock for SAF.

“We are excited to partner with a leading company like Idemitsu that shares our vision for a sustainable future,” said Naveen Sikka, the founder and CEO of Terviva. “Our pongamia genetics have been proven through extensive field trials on over a thousand acres, using proprietary data analytics and farming techniques to drive maximal yield, minimize cost and promote sustainable cultivation. The end result is a complete pongamia-farming package that creates a low-cost, low-carbon and high-quality form of oil and protein—revolutionary for a global agriculture industry that is confronting climate change. We are eager to support Idemitsu’s goals to advance sustainable-fuel solutions.”

Terviva’s elite pongamia cultivars have been developed over 15 years of research trials spanning nearly 2,000 acres in the U.S. and Australia.

Terviva’s pongamia trees produce three or more metric tons of beans per acre, which feature a high oil content.

The harvested beans are processed to produce oil, which can then be used as a feedstock, or raw material, for the biofuels industry.

The combination of high oil-yielding cultivars with low agricultural-input best-practices creates a unique opportunity for reduced greenhouse-gas emissions compared to traditional fossil fuels.

Due to the strong genetic variability of pongamia, the know-how for selecting and reproducing superior varieties is key to achieving high yield.

Idemitsu Kosan aims to establish a supply system for 500 million liters (132 million gallons) of SAF annually.

To meet this goal, the company plans to produce 250 million liters (66 million gallons) of SAF annually using HEFA technology at its Tokuyama Complex in fiscal-year 2028.

Considering the potential future supply and demand tightness and price fluctuations of various raw materials, Idemitsu Kosan is working to secure raw materials that can be supplied sustainably over the long term.

Pongamia’s ability as a high-yielding oilseed crop is considered promising as a measure to secure raw materials for the long-term stable and economical production of SAF using HEFA technology.

This initial trial will inform Idemitsu Kosan’s future expansion of commercial pongamia.