In the past few decades, Italy’s petrochemical industry has not enjoyed the best of reputations. Its image suffered not only from the aftershocks of several scandals that shook the sector in the 1970s, including the adamant and systematic denial of the health risks associated with the PVC production in Porto Marghera or the dioxin accident in Sevesco, which to date serves as a warning to a lax approach to the risks associated with chlorine.

Now that the unsound economic footing and the environmental risks associated with many plants can no longer be denied or dismissed by pointing to larger economic advantages, state-owned petrochemical giant Eni has decided to seek refuge in more modern concepts. As part of its strategy, embodied by subsidiary Versalis, the company is now switching to “bio”. The planned cracker conversion in Porto Marghera has been shelved, and the facility will be shut down.

To avoid putting too many people out on the streets, Eni nevertheless wants to engage in some kind of industrial activity at the site – whose history in effect destines it to be a bastion of the petrochemical sector. The detailed plans recently revealed a call for an investment of EUR 200m in new facilities that will turn palm oil into high-quality hydrocarbon blends (from C10 onwards).

But not only is the balance sheet of palm oil production contested from an energy and environmental point of view when compared to fossil fuels, the latest endeavour appears almost grotesque considering the proposed application. Eni plans to turn the palm oil into additives that it will – you heard correctly – use to drill for fossil oil. Talk about feasibility…

Daniel Stricker