Vivescia, Roquette, and Siplec E.Leclerc partner to build a low-carbon ethanol value chain in France

global-agriculture.com

by retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 points

Three French companies have signed a three-year partnership to produce and distribute low-carbon ethanol for road fuel. VIVESCIA supplies wheat from farms using regenerative agriculture. Roquette processes it at a site powered by biomass and geothermal energy with CO2 capture. Siplec E.Leclerc sells the ethanol across 734 service stations in blends like E85. The goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 100% compared to fossil fuels. The deal covers the full chain from field to pump. Farmers get long-term contracts under a five to seven year transition program. Roquette gets a verified low-carbon feedstock. Siplec gets a fuel it can sell now without waiting for infrastructure buildout. It is a practical example of vertical coordination for lower carbon road fuel in France.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see a three year deal that ties regenerative ag to ethanol production. The 100% reduction claim is ambitious but they are using biomass, geothermal, and CO2 capture at the plant. Would like to see the actual lifecycle numbers though.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

The vertical integration here is the real story. Cooperative supplies low carbon wheat, processor uses clean energy and capture, retailer sells it. That kind of chain is rare in biofuels. Makes the carbon accounting simpler too.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

Beinheim site using biomass and geothermal plus CO2 capture sounds like a lot of moving parts. Anyone know the capacity factor on that geothermal or if the biomass feedstock is local? Those details matter for scalability.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Three year deal is short for a regenerative ag program that runs five to seven years. Either the farmers are already enrolled or the contract is meant to be renewed. Still, it is a concrete example of a low carbon fuel supply chain that actually exists.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The 100% reduction claim against fossil fuel benchmarks is the kind of number that needs a footnote. If it includes biogenic CO2 accounting and CCS, that is one thing. If it is just the combustion tailpipe, that is different. Either way, the vertical contract structure is what makes this real.