Camelina Company España, Europe’s largest camelina crop innovator and seed producer, on Sept. 29 held the opening of their new Innovation Center in Daimiel, Spain. Camelina is grown for use by Camelina Company’s parent company Global Clean Energy to produce ultra-low carbon renewable fuels. Renewable diesel produced from camelina is a drop-in replacement for traditional diesel, but with fewer contaminants and far less emissions.

“Camelina provides many agronomic benefits for farmers – it prevents erosion, diversifies the crop rotation, and acts as a harvestable cover crop that provides additive revenues to farmers – while also contributing to our clean energy future through the production of renewable fuels,” Global Clean Energy Chief Executive Officer Richard Palmer said. “The opening of this new facility showcases camelina’s rapid growth in Europe and we are proud of Camelina Company’s expansion.”

Camelina Company introduces nonfood camelina into existing crop rotations as a cover crop or replacement of traditional fallow periods, without causing food displacement. By employing its proprietary camelina varieties and prediction models, Camelina Company optimizes its elite varieties in different cropping systems, primarily in Europe and South America.

“The opening of this new Innovation Center is an important milestone in Camelina Company’s journey to deploy camelina as a profitable cover crop for farmers, while providing a fully sustainable solution for advanced biofuels,” Camelina Company’s Director Yuri Herreras Yambanis said. “In Daimiel we will be able to expand our field testing and breeding activities while ensuring a full presence close to our partner farmers in our best performing area of Spain.” 

The new 420 m2 (5420 sq ft) Innovation Center will allow Camelina Company to significantly expand their research and development while enhancing their presence in one of the best performing camelina regions in Spain. Since the company began camelina production in Daimiel in 2014, farmers have increasingly adopted camelina cultivation, doubling yields to achieve over 2.500 kg/ha, thanks to strategic breeding and improved farmers’ practices.

The facility’s opening coincides with the launch of a new logo and website for Camelina Company, unifying it with the Global Clean Energy suite of companies, like Sustainable Oils, Inc., North America’s largest camelina breeder and provider. Together, Camelina Company and Sustainable Oils’ camelina breeding and expertise give Global Clean Energy the world’s largest camelina intellectual property and patent portfolio.