VTTI, Connex to develop feedstock-pretreatment facility in Amsterdam

Image: VTTI

Energy-infrastructure company VTTI and feedstock trader Connex are joining forces to develop a feedstock-pretreatment facility at VTTI’s terminal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Once completed, the facility will be able to process over 400,000 tons of renewable feedstock per year to enable the production of sustainable fuels, giving customers additional options for pretreatment services in Northern Europe.

Renewable feedstocks can be stored, blended and pretreated at what VTTI calls the Greenstock Pretreatment Facility in preparation for the transport and eventual production of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by customers.

VTTI said it expects the facility to be operational by 2027.

The project combines the market and technology capabilities of Connex with the energy-infrastructure development, logistics and storage experience of VTTI.

Connex, headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, trades renewable feedstocks such as animal fats, used cooking oil (UCO), brown grease and other advanced waste and residue streams.

These sustainable feedstocks are processed into components needed for biofuel production, such as renewable diesel and SAF.

VTTI, also headquartered in Rotterdam, develops and operates energy infrastructure, including energy-storage terminals, renewable natural gas (RNG) facilities and liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminals.

The company said it is a leading provider of liquid bulk energy fuel storage and handling services around the world.

In the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region, VTTI operates an energy-storage terminal at each location.

For the project, VTTI’s terminal in Amsterdam will offer 70,000 cubic meters (approximately 18.5 million gallons) of dedicated tank storage on site, offering flexibility in loading and discharging, infrastructure and state-of-the-art quality control.

Together, they will offer customers flexibility in aggregating, blending and full pretreatment services for a wide range of renewable feedstocks such as UCO, animal fats (category 1, 2 and 3) and other advanced waste and residues.

“It is fantastic to join forces on our mission to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and cleaner future,” said Bram van Santen, the corporate director of Connex. “The demand for feedstocks to make SAF and HVO will triple in the coming years. The Greenstock Pretreatment Facility’s strategic location close to refineries and major transport and population centers will make it ideally placed to meet this rising demand. Effective pretreatment will be a significant enabler of cleaner fuel in the future.”

Jaap Koomen, the senior vice president and head of country for VTTI in the Netherlands, added, “At VTTI, we are committed to having half of our earnings come from transitional and sustainable energy sources by 2028. The addition of a Greenstock Pretreatment Facility to the ARA region, with refineries in the vicinity, will put us even closer to that goal. In Amsterdam, this facility, along with the efforts we have already made to ensure the terminal stores at least 50 percent renewable energy by 2025, will be a significant contributor towards helping the Port of Amsterdam reach its goal to be one of the most sustainable ports in Europe by 2030. Collaboration and partnership are essential to accelerate the energy transition.”

In addition to storage and processing of sustainable feedstocks, the new facility will operate using the latest technologies for energy efficiency and sustainability.

Currently, the site is being prepared for permitting and construction.