Topsoe, a leading global provider of advanced technology and solutions for the energy transition, alongside Sasol, a global chemicals and energy company, have signed a licensing agreement with Allied Biofuels to provide technologies for its eSAF and bio-based SAF production facility located in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan.

Under the agreements, Topsoe and Sasol will provide the core technology licence, engineering design package and technical services for the project’s eSAF production pathway. The facility will combine Topsoe’s advanced SynCOR™ technology with Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technology to produce high-quality SAF from a variety of feedstocks – including biomass, green hydrogen and carbon dioxide – creating a highly flexible and integrated production pathway.

Yassir Ghiyati, Chief Commercial Officer at Topsoe, said:
“This agreement marks a significant milestone for Topsoe as this is our first eSAF project in Uzbekistan. The Allied Biofuels facility brings together best-in-class technologies from Topsoe and Sasol to produce SAF with a variety of feedstock enhancing operations resilience. This commercial scale facility will help cater for the rapidly evolving global need for a variety of fuels for the aviation industry. We believe that projects like this will play an important role in driving the ramp up of SAF across key markets, such as Europe and the Middle East.”

Sarushen Pillay, Executive Vice President for Business Building, Strategy and Technology at Sasol, said:
“The selection of Sasol for this landmark project reflects the confidence that customers place in our proven Fischer-Tropsch technology and our ability to deliver at commercial scale. Building on the operational success of our world-scale XTL facilities and more than 30 years of collaboration with Topsoe, we bring together deep technology expertise, global execution experience and a fully integrated licensing solution. Together, we are enabling projects that not only deliver superior product yields and strong economics, but also help increase the growth of SAF production capacity and accelerate the global energy transition."

Alfred Benedict, Managing Director at Allied Biofuels, said:
“Securing world-class technology from Topsoe and Sasol is a defining milestone for Allied Biofuels’ Uzbekistan project. These agreements strengthen our engineering and execution pathway and are central to Allied Biofuels’ development of a globally competitive clean fuels platform capable of contributing to the aviation sector’s growing need for credible, scalable SAF and eSAF.”

The agreements mark a major technology milestone for Allied Biofuels’ US$6.1 billion integrated clean fuels development in the Khorezm region. The project is being developed as one of Central Asia’s most significant aviation fuel platforms, combining large-scale clean energy integration, advanced fuel conversion technologies and international engineering expertise to support the production of next-generation aviation fuels for domestic, regional and international markets.

This project comes at a time of rapidly growing demand for SAF, alongside expanding regulation and incentives for its production and deployment. The EU's ReFuelEU Aviation regulation[1] requires fuel suppliers to deliver 1.2% share of eSAF in all EU airports by 2030, rising to 35% by 2050.

Article first published by Topsoe