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40 min ago 2 min read
Topsoe-Sasol electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) joint venture Zaffra has signed an agreement with German energy firm MB Energy to explore hydrogen supply, logistics, and fuel distribution infrastructure for future eSAF production in Europe.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU), MB Energy will assess acting as an offtaker for future eSAF volumes, alongside plans to develop storage, blending, logistics and airport supply infrastructure required to bring synthetic aviation fuel to market.
The partnership also includes potential hydrogen sourcing via MB Energy’s low-carbon fuel infrastructure project, New Energy Gate, in Hamburg.
Topsoe and Sasol’s gas-to-liquid technology combines renewable feedstocks, such as biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and green hydrogen, to create e-fuels.
The partnership will initially focus on the €500m ($589.3m) Brandenburg eSAF project, expected to produce more than 30,000 tonnes of eSAF annually from 2030.
This comes amid Germany’s eSAF mandate, adopted under the EU’s ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, which will gradually increase SAF blending requirements reaching up to 70% by 2050.
Jonathan Perkins, CEO of MB Energy, said, “By combining Zaffra’s eSAF development capabilities with MB Energy’s infrastructure and market reach, we would be creating the foundation for a practical and scalable [European] supply chain.”
Located at the PCK refinery in Schwedt, northeastern Germany, Brandenburg eSAF €350m ($412.5m) in state funding and is expected to cover around a quarter of Germany’s eSAF mandate once operational.
