Metafuels gets $5m Swiss grant to develop e-SAF pilot

Zurich-based aviation technology startup Metafuels and research facilities operator Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have been awarded a grant of $5m (CHF4.4m) to develop a pilot plant for the production of e-SAF.

“We are proud to secure this grant, not only for the important work it will fund to bring our technology to life – but what it represents, placing us at the heart of an increasingly innovative, start-up oriented Swiss economy,” said Saurabh Kapoor, CEO and co-founder, Metafuels.

Metafuels said the funds will be used to implement and operate a pilot facility based on Metafuels’ e-SAF technology, aerobrew, which is being developed in collaboration with the PSI.

This plant, the country’s first, will be installed at the PSI campus in Villigen AG. Swiss Federal Office of Energy, which initiated the grant for the project, said that the investment aligns with the objectives of the Swiss Energy Strategy 2050.

The company’s aerobrew e-SAF aims to achieve the lowest cost of production through high efficiency and ultra-high yield. The company uses renewable electricity as key feedstock.

PSI said the pilot plant will constructed in a three-storey research hall on the campus of the institute.

“Thanks to our expertise in both basic research and engineering sciences, as well as our many years of experience in the development and operation of such large-scale systems, our collaboration with Metafuels will accelerate the implementation of this novel technology for the decarbonization of the aviation industry,” added Marco Ranocchiari, head of the ESI platform at PSI.

Earlier in December, 2023, the companies raised their first institutional funding round of $8m, led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP) and Contrarian Ventures.