UGI International Forms Exclusive, Strategic Partnership with bioLPG Producer Ekobenz to Drive bioLPG Availability in Europe
February 02 2021 - 4:15PM
Business Wire
- 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 (“the Company”), European subsidiary of UGI
Corporation (NYSE:UGI), one of the world’s largest LPG
distributors, 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.
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Ekobenz’ state of the art research
facility in Bogumiłów, Poland (Photo: Business Wire)
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.
What is bioLPG?
Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) is most commonly used for
industrial processes, off grid heating and as a transport fuel. In
general, conventional LPG contains less sulphur than other fossil
fuels resulting in cleaner combustion, higher efficiency, and less
required maintenance. BioLPG’s sustainable properties compared to
its non-bio counterpart is further strengthened by the fact that
Ekobenz uses advanced bioethanol, produced from waste and residues
as feedstock in its production.
Roger Perrault, Executive Vice President Global LPG
“Ekobenz is an excellent opportunity for us to benefit from one
of the emerging pathways to a more sustainable future. This
initiative is one of many options we are currently pursuing on the
path to securing the production of renewable fuels. It is
complementary to other business activities in UGI International,
which also include renewable wind power and existing bioLPG
currently supplied in the Nordic region of Europe. We will continue
to ask our Business Development Group to cast the net far and wide
to ensure we partner up with the most advanced and appropriate
technical initiatives emerging in the market.”
Neil Murphy, Vice President for Business Development for UGI
International
“As highlighted by Roger, our increased focus in the bioethanol
space represents a major step forward in our relentless search for
new and innovative technologies to support our customers on the
path towards a more sustainable future.
“As one of the world’s largest suppliers of LPG, we consider it
our mission to be an innovator in offering customers greener and
cleaner LPG fuels. The proprietary technology employed by Ekobenz
produces very high-quality products at a moderate cost, paving the
way for large scale, commercial production which can be easily
expanded in Europe. Together it’s our ambition to pioneer
affordable bioLPG for the foreseeable future.”
Stanisław Jabłoński, President of Ekobenz ltd.
“Biomass products produced by Ekobenz can be added to crude oil
products without restriction, making them an ideal way to achieve
zero emissions in liquid and gaseous fuels by 2050. In addition,
all 2020-2050 milestones aimed at zero emissions for liquid and
gaseous fuels can be met using the existing distribution system,
equipment and people.
“Therefore, Ekobenz as a producer of renewable fuels and UGI as
a leading LPG distributor meet the conditions for a highly
successful partnership which can protect the climate and achieve
zero emissions in 2050.”
About UGI International and Ekobenz
UGI International is one of the leading LPG distributors
and a UGI Corporation subsidiary which operates in 17 European
countries servicing a customer base of 615.000 end-users. UGI
International employs several brands such as AmeriGas, Antargaz,
AvantiGas, DVEP Energie, Flaga, Kosan Gas and UniverGas. In 2020
UGI International serviced customers across broad markets – such as
commercial & industrial, residential, agriculture, Autogas and
aerosol, with 1.7 million tons of LPG. UGI International is
committed to aligning its business operations with REDII and you
can read more about the companies ESG strategy by clicking
here.
Ekobenz is a Polish-based start-up established in 2006,
which specialises in ETG (ethanol to gas) technology. Their
production facility is based in Bogumiłów in Poland where the
company transforms second generation bioethanol to advanced
biofuels suppling a global energy company with bio gasoline and now
UGI International with bioLPG. The ETG technology is patented and
the main objective of Ekobenz’ research is to create a liquid
bio-hydrocarbon, which can be added to fossil fuels without any
limitations, thus increasing the share of renewable energy in
transportation fuels Ekobenz’ total workforce currently stands at
50.
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UGI Investor Relations Tameka Morris, 610-456-6297 Arnab
Mukherjee, 610-768-7498 Shelly Oates, 610-992-3202
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