President Arce: “Today we enter the era of industrialization with the production of biofuels”

This Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy release was published using machine translation.

UCOM MHE 03-26-24.- “Today is a historic day for the country, as we mark a milestone by entering the era of industrialization for the first time with the production of biofuels,” said President Luis Arce with enthusiasm during the start-up ceremony of the Biodiesel Plant I in Santa Cruz de la Sierra that was built by the state-owned Yacimientos Petrolófilos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB).

"Other countries preceded us in the production of biodiesel from agricultural production, Bolivia could not be left out of this process, especially at this stage," said the Head of State, who also recalled that the materialization of this project is the result of the industrialization policy with import substitution.

“Today our first biodiesel plant comes into operation and we do so imbued with a high degree of commitment and as the only way to get the country out of dependence on fuel imports,” he stated. Bolivia begins to produce its own biofuel, from the raw materials produced by our agricultural brothers, he added.

In this regard, the Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energy, Franklin Molina, explained that this plant has a production capacity of 1,500 barrels per day. It was built with an investment of Bs 379.5 million and is located in the Guillermo Elder Bell Refinery, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It will produce biodiesel from vegetable oils, a more sustainable fuel, with lower emissions of pollutants and of higher quality.

After the start-up and a stabilization phase, Molina stated that the plant will not only produce biodiesel, but will also generate jobs in a chain that integrates the productive sector, mainly agricultural, through the production of green grain. “Thousands of jobs will be generated in the department of Santa Cruz, benefiting transportation, industry and the private sector,” he added.

For Minister Molina, “today the country has a new industry as part of a national project,” since this plant also entails a series of economic, social and environmental benefits for the country. By replacing part of diesel imports through local production of this input, it directly contributes to reducing import costs and diesel subsidies.

Likewise, the authority highlighted the importance of the start of operations in Santa Cruz, since, together with the Biodiesel Plant II in El Alto and the HVO industrial project, it will prevent the outflow of foreign currency abroad. In addition, it will promote the production of vegetable oil as raw material for the plant, which will generate new sources of employment in the agroindustrial sector.

In turn, the president of YPFB, Armin Dorgathen, stated that, from the start of productive operations, “we will have cleaner fuel and we will ensure the supply of fuel for all Bolivians.” With the implementation of the biodiesel plant, YPFB aligns itself with the international trend towards the production of cleaner fuels, opening opportunities to expand its focus to other energy segments.