Green Fuels Hamburg abandons SAF project

Green Fuels Hamburg project scheduled to start producing 10,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from 2026 has been scrapped, the project sponsors informed the Hamburg Senate.

“The consortium has announced that it will not be pursuing the project any further,” the Senate responded to a question from the Left Wing parliamentary group seeking clarification on the project status.

Energy supplier Uniper, energy technology firm Siemens Energy and aircraft manufacturer Airbus teamed up with Sasol EcoFT to develop a commercial SAF production plant in 2022. The consortium planned to produce SAF in the city;’s industrial region of Billbrook and Rothenburgsort.

The project was also supported by TUHH Technical University, the city’s senate as well as Hamburg Airport.

In addition, Emirates had also indicated its interest in acting as a customer for the PtL-SAF to be produced by the consortium.

The consortium has not shared any details on the reasons behind scrapping the project.

However, senate members warned that the city-state will not have enough SAF to meet demand in the wake of EU Refuel regulations kicking in from January 1 next year.

The government estimates that Hamburg Airport will need around 7,000 tons of SAF in 2025. Suppliers for the 7,000 tons of SAF required from 2025 are nowhere in sight, said environmental policy spokesperson Stephan Jersch.