Liquid Sun launches eSAF pilot in Finland

Finnish firm Liquid Sun is launching a pilot project to produce renewable sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) from biogenic CO2 emissions in partnership with Finnair, ABB, Fortum, and Finavia.

The pilot will build upon research carried out by Tampere University.

The unit, to be located in Espoo, will be fully operational in autumn 2025 and will be the first pre-commercial production pilot of its kind in the Scandinavian country.

The partner firms will jointly develop eSAF production, conduct validation and build capabilities for globally scalable processes to secure the future supply of domestically produced eSAF.

“Finland has the opportunity to become a leading producer in the rapidly emerging sustainable aviation fuel market. To achieve this goal, it is critical that the project brings together industrial partners across the eSAF value chain with a shared ambition to accelerate the transition to sustainable fuels,” says Pasi Keinänen, CEO of Liquid Sun.

The EU aviation mandates have been a key driver for SAF demand. However, with the eSAF sub mandate from 2030, the mandate will expand to include fully synthetic fuels made from CO2.

“As the owner of Finland’s airports, we at Finavia want to do everything we can across the aviation value chain to support more sustainable air travel. This means bold climate collaboration with our stakeholders, and actively understanding and testing new technologies across our airport operations,” says Henri Hansson, SVP, Airport Infrastructure, Sustainability, Safety, Security & Compliance at Finavia.