(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 9. Eni has initiated the Environmental Impact Assessment (VIA) process to transform its industrial site in Priolo, Sicily, following approval from the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security to proceed with the construction of a biorefinery and chemical recycling plant, Trend reports.

The project will leverage Versalis' proprietary Hoop® technology.

The initiative will repurpose the area currently occupied by Versalis' ethylene plant, which will be gradually decommissioned, as well as an adjacent zone used for site services. The new biorefinery will have an annual production capacity of 500,000 tonnes, primarily using residues and waste of vegetable origin, animal fats, and vegetable oils. The facility will also include a biogenic feedstock pre-treatment unit and a hydrogen production plant.

The Priolo biorefinery will be Sicily's second, following the Gela plant, operational since 2019, and will produce HVO diesel for road, marine, and rail transport, alongside SAF-biojet for aviation. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.

Complementing the biorefinery, the Hoop® chemical recycling plant will process 40,000 tonnes of mixed plastic packaging waste per year, producing approximately 32,000 tonnes of pyrolysis oil. The technology, recently demonstrated at a pilot plant in Mantua, will see its first industrial-scale deployment in Priolo. Hoop® converts mixed plastic waste into high-quality raw materials suitable for new plastic products, including food-contact and pharmaceutical packaging.

The Hoop® technology, developed jointly with Italian engineering firm S.R.S. (Servizi di Ricerche e Sviluppo), combines a high-performance pyrolysis reactor with advanced polymer property measurement and AI-driven process optimization, enabling high material recovery and broad feedstock flexibility.

The Priolo project, first announced in October 2024 and formalized in March 2025 through an agreement at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), underscores Eni's commitment to decarbonization and sustainable industrial transformation.

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