Eni and PETRONAS are evaluating the development of renewable bio-gasoline, with motorsport set to provide an initial testing ground for the high-performance fuel before the partners consider potential wider commercial applications.
The companies signed a Feasibility Agreement during the 2026 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix to assess whether renewable gasoline produced from sustainable feedstocks can meet the demanding performance requirements of high-performance combustion engines while providing a pathway towards lower-carbon transport fuels.
The study will assess the proposed bio-gasoline across several areas, including technical performance, engine compatibility, sustainability, market potential and product development requirements.
Bio-gasoline study targets high-performance engines
The feasibility programme will use Eni’s Ecofining™ technology platform as a starting point. Eni has operated the technology since 2014 to produce hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuels from renewable feedstocks.
The companies intend to investigate how the technology could be adapted or developed to produce renewable gasoline suitable for applications where fuel performance is particularly demanding.
Motorsport provides a highly controlled environment for testing fuel formulations under demanding operating conditions. The partners’ initial focus therefore places engine performance and fuel characteristics alongside sustainability considerations.
Eni will contribute its experience in renewable fuels and sustainable energy through its Enilive business and biorefinery network. Its existing renewable-fuel portfolio includes HVO diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), while it is also advancing technologies aimed at producing renewable gasoline.
PETRONAS will contribute expertise in fuel formulation, engine requirements and advanced fuel development. The Malaysian energy company has experience across both conventional fuels and the development of higher-performance products for combustion engines.
Eni and PETRONAS expand renewable fuels cooperation
The bio-gasoline agreement builds on a wider relationship between the two companies in energy and renewable fuels.
Eni and PETRONAS recently established Searah, a 50:50 independent joint venture combining selected operations in Indonesia and Malaysia. The venture has a portfolio of 19 gas production and development assets across the two countries.
The companies are also partners in the Pengerang Biorefinery in Johor, Malaysia, alongside Euglena.
The facility is planned to process up to 650,000 tonnes of renewable feedstocks annually and is expected to begin operating at significant scale during the second half of 2028. Its planned product portfolio includes SAF, HVO diesel and bio-naphtha.
The proposed bio-gasoline programme would broaden that renewable-fuel strategy into another segment of the road-transport market.
Motorsport could provide route to commercial bio-gasoline
The partners’ decision to begin with motorsport reflects the technical demands associated with high-performance combustion engines. A successful feasibility study would need to demonstrate that renewable gasoline can deliver the required fuel characteristics while meeting applicable sustainability requirements.
The project could also provide an additional pathway for renewable feedstocks beyond their established use in diesel and aviation fuels.
For the wider transport sector, renewable gasoline could offer a lower-carbon fuel option for internal-combustion engines without requiring an immediate switch to battery-electric propulsion. However, the current agreement remains at the feasibility stage and does not establish a commercial production timeline.
Any future deployment would depend on the technical findings, sustainability assessment, market conditions and the partners’ subsequent investment decisions.
Potential implications for renewable feedstock demand
If the technology progresses beyond feasibility and eventually reaches commercial scale, bio-gasoline could create another outlet for renewable hydrocarbons and feedstocks used in advanced biofuel production.
Potential feedstock categories could include vegetable oils, waste oils and other renewable inputs, although the agreement does not specify a final commercial feedstock mix.
A successful commercial pathway could also complement the development of renewable diesel, SAF and bio-naphtha markets by increasing the range of products that can be derived from renewable feedstocks.
For conventional fuel markets, any displacement of fossil-based gasoline or naphtha would be a longer-term consideration rather than an immediate consequence of the agreement.
Near-term market impact expected to remain limited
The immediate impact on biofuel or chemical commodity prices is likely to be limited because the Eni-PETRONAS initiative is still evaluating technical and commercial feasibility.
Longer-term implications would depend on whether the technology advances to commercial production and the scale at which renewable gasoline could ultimately be manufactured.
For now, the agreement represents an expansion of the partners’ renewable-fuel development efforts, moving beyond established HVO and SAF applications to investigate whether renewable gasoline can satisfy the performance demands of motorsport and, potentially, other combustion-engine applications.
The next key step will be the outcome of the feasibility study and the partners’ assessment of whether the technology can progress towards commercial deployment.
Bioenergy Business Analysis
The Eni-PETRONAS bio-gasoline agreement is significant because it extends renewable fuels development into a segment that has received less attention than HVO and SAF. Using motorsport as the initial proving ground could allow the companies to test fuel performance under demanding operating conditions while building technical knowledge before considering commercial-scale applications. Eni’s Ecofining platform and existing biorefinery expertise, combined with PETRONAS’ fuel-formulation and engine-performance capabilities, give the partnership an established technology and engineering base rather than starting from a purely conceptual fuel pathway.
From a broader bioenergy perspective, the more important question is whether bio-gasoline can move beyond a specialised motorsport application and become a scalable renewable fuel for existing combustion-engine fleets. That transition would depend on feedstock availability, fuel specifications, production economics, sustainability credentials and the ability to manufacture consistently at commercial scale. The partnership therefore represents an early-stage technology development opportunity rather than an immediate new market for renewable gasoline. Its progress will be worth monitoring alongside the partners’ expanding renewable-fuel infrastructure, including the 650,000-tonne-per-year Pengerang Biorefinery in Malaysia.
Read also: Philippines to auction 160 MW of biomass power in GEA-6
