A BP-backed biofuel supplier is evaluating the potential for a refinery for its fuel in Ireland following the launch of a significant terminal in Cork that will help it export around Europe.
BF Limited, based in the UK, launched the biofuel terminal in Cork Harbour through its Irish subsidiary Green D Project. The hub is set to play a central role in the company’s international expansion, with it also hoping its “renewable fuels” can support Ireland’s climate plans.
GBF acquired a firm called BLS, which owned a chemical storage facility in Cork Harbour. Between the acquisition and the site, it will invest €20m in the move overall.
Magnus Hammick, chief operating officer of GBF, said the Irish facility would be its principal supply terminal for Ireland. He added it was an “ideal hub position” for Europe and the UK for bringing large cargo from the US, where there are several refineries being built.
Hammick said there was the potential for more investment here.
“Long term, we think the Irish market should have a refinery,” he said. “We are looking and evaluating whether that is possible. But first, we need to get the product moving and use that area as a hub.
In 2021, Ireland imported over eight million litres of this biofuel
“We will need partners to come alongside us to do that. Genuinely, we are evaluating that. Advantages include being inside Europe, close to the UK, and having great transport links to the US. So when you look at it, why wouldn’t you look at that over and above, say, a refinery in the UK or elsewhere?”
The new terminal will act as both an import facility to service the demand for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) renewable fuel in Ireland and a blending/export facility to enable the collection and use of renewable fuels overseas.
GBF has supplied over 200 million litres of its Gd+ HVO to the UK over the past year, covering different sectors including construction, logistics and marine industries.
GBF will initially use 38 million litres of the terminal capacity for Gd+ HVO. It aims to grow the facility’s capacity to hold 53 million litres.
In 2021, Ireland imported over eight million litres of this biofuel. Hammick said it Irish clients included CRH. GBF said it plans for the facility, which took its first delivery last month, to be fully operational before the end of the first quarter.
GBF, which counts Peter O’Brien as its Irish manager, supplies its fuels as an alternative for customers using diesel-consuming engines. Its products, distributed here through companies including Certa, include diesel alternatives made from vegetable and animal fats and oils. The company said its investment would be a “springboard” for Ireland’s ambitions to create a cleaner economy.
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