Corteva Inc. (Indianapolis, Ind.) and bp plc (London) announced the launch of Etlas, their new 50:50 joint venture (JV) that will produce oil from crops – including canola, mustard and sunflower – for use in the production of biofuels like sustainable (or synthetic) aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (RD). Etlas will harness both Corteva’s century-long expertise in seed technology to develop crops ideally suited to produce SAF and RD as well as bp’s expertise in refining and marketing fuel for the commercial transportation market.
Etlas aims to produce one million metric tons of feedstock per year by the mid-2030s, which could produce over 800 thousand tonnes of biofuel. Initial supply is scheduled to begin in 2027 for use in co-processing at refineries as well as at dedicated biofuels plants.
Leading industry estimates have global demand for SAF growing to as much as 10 million tonnes by 20301 — from about 1 million tonnes in 2024, while global demand for RD could rise to as much as 35 million tonnes by 20302 from approximately 17 million tonnes in 2024. Etlas is designed to provide a reliable, scalable supply of feedstock to help meet this expected demand.