Australia’s Hadean teams up with NGV for pilot eSAF facility

Australian energy consortium Hadean Energy said it has teamed up with Israeli startup NGV to build a first-of-a-kind integrated pilot facility for producing synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF).

The pilot facility will host NGV Earth’s catalytic fuel synthesis process with Hadean Energy’s tubular Solid Oxide Electrolyser (tSOE) technology.

NGV Earth’s proprietary catalytic technology then transforms the produced CO with steam into ready-to-use aviation fuel, fully compliant with rigorous international ASTM D7566 standards.

“Joining forces with Hadean Energy enables us to unlock new possibilities for the sustainable aviation fuel industry. The synergy between advanced electrolysis and catalytic innovation is precisely what we need to scale eSAF production and significantly reduce aviation’s environmental footprint”, said Arie Sussely, CEO of NGV Earth.

Meanwhile, the advanced tSOE system, developed by Hadean Energy, uses renewable electricity and waste heat to efficiently convert CO2 into carbon monoxide (CO) at high temperatures.

Hadean Energy is an Australian startup spun off from the CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. Chris Rowland, CEO of Hadean Energy, said the tSOE component of the pilot plant would be built in Australia and transported to Israel for integration with NGV Earth’s plant, leveraging the specialist skills of both companies.

“This partnership is a significant leap forward in sustainable aviation, positioning our innovative electrolyser technology at the forefront of clean fuel production. Together with NGV Earth, we are excited to demonstrate the immense potential of our combined expertise to accelerate aviation’s journey to net-zero emissions”, said CEO of Hadean Energy Chris Rowland.

Initially, the pilot project will produce small amounts of high-quality eSAF. This proof-of-concept plant will pave the way for a larger demonstration-scale facility capable of producing up to one barrel per day of sustainable aviation fuel – powered exclusively by CO2, water, and renewable electricity.

Read more about NGV’s technology here.