Terviva, Inc., an agricultural innovation firm focused on growing and harvesting pongamia for food, feed, and fuel, has announced an investment from Chevron Renewable Energy Group. This partnership aims to scale Terviva’s pongamia cultivation and enhance its availability as a feedstock for renewable fuels production.
This collaboration underscores Terviva’s strategic growth and the potential for global scalability while promoting pongamia as a low-carbon resource for biofuels. Terviva has developed elite pongamia cultivars over 15 years of research across nearly 2,000 acres in the U.S. and Australia. These trees yield over three metric tons of beans per acre, which have a high oil content. The harvested beans are processed into oil, serving as a raw material for the biofuels industry. This high oil yield, combined with low inputs, enables the production of biofuels with significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional fossil fuels.
“Crude pongamia oil can be converted into biodiesel, renewable diesel, or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Partnering with Chevron Renewable Energy Group allows us to enhance the availability of feedstocks for these fuels while advancing our mission to revitalize agricultural land and communities. This collaboration benefits all stakeholders, from farmers growing pongamia to fleets seeking lower-carbon fuels,” said Naveen Sikka, founder and CEO of Terviva. “Together, Chevron Renewable Energy Group and Terviva are fostering economic opportunities and promoting environmental stewardship.”
As a regenerative tree crop, pongamia offers numerous environmental benefits. It is resilient, thriving with irregular water access and extreme heat. Additionally, its nitrogen-fixing properties enrich soils and reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers.
“Expanding the availability of lower-carbon feedstocks for renewable fuel production is crucial for the biofuels industry’s growth,” stated Jan Slaghekke, Vice President of Business Development and International Operations at Chevron Renewable Energy Group. “We are excited about Terviva’s efforts to scale pongamia production and look forward to advancing this partnership toward greater commercialization.
