HIF Global selects Matagorda County, Texas for eFuels facility

HIF Global, in partnership with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the Matagorda County Economic Development Corporation, and various community partners, announced its selection of Matagorda County as the location of its first industrial-scale eFuels facility in North America.

When the HIF Matagorda eFuels facility is fully operational, HIF anticipates producing approximately 200 million gallons a year of a carbon-neutral gasoline substitute that will decarbonize over 400,000 vehicles in the United States.

HIF plans to make a capital investment of approximately $6 billion, creating about 3,000 direct jobs during the construction phase of the HIF Matagorda eFuels facility and more than 125 permanent operating jobs. The project is also expected to create and sustain thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the region. The company expects construction at the site to begin in 2023.

The carbon-neutral gasoline substitute can be used in vehicles without any modification to existing engines or the infrastructure on which they depend. The carbon-neutral gasoline is produced by combining CO2 captured from the atmosphere with green hydrogen from renewable wind power.

HIF USA CEO Renato Pereira said, “I am grateful to the citizens of Matagorda County for welcoming the first American eFuels facility to the south coast of Texas. We are honored that Governor Abbott could be at this site announcement, demonstrating the commitment the state of Texas has to innovative businesses that will drive the future. Once again Texas has shown its leadership as the heart of America’s energy sector, galvanizing new energy supplies for the United States and the world.”

“We chose this site because of its unique combination of incentive support, available real estate, tax and regulatory stability, and commitment to protecting the environment through responsible and sustainable economic development. Carbon-neutral eFuels represent the energy sector’s next frontier, enabling renewable resources to fuel our mobile economy. We expect to start construction in 2023 and produce eFuels from the pioneering HIF Matagorda eFuels facility in 2026,” HIF USA CEO Renato Pereira added.

The Honorable Judge Nate McDonald, County Judge of Matagorda County said, “The State of Texas has long been the champion of energy in the United States. I am proud to say our Economic Development team here in Matagorda County, along with the ever-present support of the Governor and his office, have brought to fruition a new energy sector that will put Matagorda County on the map. I’m proud of the work Matagorda and HIF teams displayed throughout this process and could not be happier they selected Matagorda County for their U.S. flagship.”