Strategic Partnership to drive bioLPG availability in Europe
UGI International Forms Exclusive, Strategic Partnership with bioLPG Producer Ekobenz to Drive bioLPG Availability in Europe
2nd February, 2021
UGI International to hold exclusive rights to Ekobenz’ bioLPG supply, providing strong platform for growth across the European region
Partnership boosts UGI International’s sustainable fuels portfolio in Europe and supports customer´s need to reduce carbon footprint and achieve decarbonisation targets
A significant milestone in UGI International’s decarbonisation strategy that underpins the Company’s commitment to support the goals of the Paris agreement to achieve a net zero global economy
UGI International, today announced a new supply and development partnership with Ekobenz, a Polish technology specialist in catalytic conversion of bioethanol to bio-gasoline and bioLPG. Per the terms of the agreement, UGI International has secured the exclusive rights to Ekobenz’ supply of bioLPG, a renewable form of propane-butane produced from advanced bioethanol. The primary raw material to produce bioLPG is the conversion of organic material derived from industrial waste, unsuitable for use in human and animal food chain. The product can be used by all of UGI International’s existing LPG entities operating across Europe, and significantly boosts the company’s portfolio of sustainable fuels.
As well as providing a platform for the growth and wider uptake of bioLPG through UGI International’s strong market presence in Europe, the company is also committed to playing a crucial role in enabling its customers to decarbonise their operations to support the goals of the Paris agreement to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The move also signifies UGI International’s leadership in supporting emerging technologies that have the potential to transform and decarbonise a sector that has been traditionally heavily reliant on fossil fuels. The unique properties of bioLPG mean that it can be easily combined with traditional conventional LPG and used across the same applications, diluting the carbon footprint per litre and offering a greener alternative that can be used in exactly the same way by customers.
Ekobenz is the first and currently only company in Europe that has succeeded in commercialising bioLPG production based on advanced bioethanol produced from waste. The first shipment of bioLPG from Ekobenz’ state of the art research facility in Bogumiłów, Poland, is expected to arrive in Sweden in the spring of this year.
The partnership with Ekobenz is one of several initiatives which support UGI International´s ambition of aligning and, where possible, surpassing those sustainable targets as set in the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) guidance protocol.