Petrixo Group is expected to tender its planned biofuels refinery in Fujairah by the end of the year having completed the front-end engineering and design (feed) phase.

The feed study for the facility planned on the east coast of the UAE was carried out this year by US-based engineering group Fluor, according to sources familiar with the project.

Petrixo is now expected to invite bids for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the first phase of the project.

The company plans to invest $800m in the biofuels refinery and, in July, selected Honeywell subsidiary UOP to provide the jet fuel and diesel technology. UOP’s process technology will be used to produce jet fuel and diesel from 500,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of renewable feedstocks.

Petrixo is planning to build a facility with a final capacity to produce 1 million t/y of fuel including biodiesel, jet fuel, naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). According to the company website, the project will also produce edible oils from soy beans, sunflower, corn and canola.