St1 begins SAF production at Gothenburg site
Gothenburg-based St1 Refinery announced that it has begun producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The biorefinery in Gothenburg, Sweden, will supply SAF to regional airlines, including Braathens Regional Airlines.
The refinery will use Honeywell’s Ecofining SAF technology.
“The Gothenburg biorefinery is a significant milestone in our energy transition roadmap and an important step in St1’s journey towards more sustainable energy production,” said Miika Eerola, St1 head of refining, projects & HSSE.
“With Honeywell’s Ecofining technology, we are taking an important step toward realising our vision of becoming the leading producer and seller of CO2-aware energy.”
The SAF produced at St1’s facility will support the European Union’s ReFuelEU initiative, which requires aviation fuel to contain a blend of at least 2% SAF beginning in 2025. The required percentage gradually increases over time, eventually increasing to 70% by 2050.
“For more than a decade, our Ecofining technology has been an innovator in the renewable energy sector,” said Barry Glickman, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions.
“In partnership with St1, we are proud to be supporting the global energy transition and the European Union’s ReFuelEU initiative by providing a proven technology for reducing CO2 emissions.”
Honeywell’s Ecofining process, developed in collaboration with Eni S.p.A., has been used to produce SAF commercially since 2016. The company now offers solutions across a range of feedstocks to meet the rapidly growing demand for renewable fuels, including SAF. When blended with traditional jet fuel, SAF can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional fossil fuels.
More than 50 sites globally have licensed Honeywell’s SAF technologies, with refineries projected to exceed a combined capacity of more than 500,000 barrels of renewable fuel per day when fully operational. Beyond SAF, Honeywell’s renewable fuels portfolio also includes Ethanol to Jet technology and eFining™, which converts green hydrogen and carbon dioxide into e-fuels.
St1 began initial testing production at the Gothenburg refinery in April earlier this year. The biorefinery has an annual design capacity of 200,000 tons of renewable fuel production including SAF, bio-diesel (HVO), bio-naphtha, and bio-LPG using a wide range of feedstocks including used cooking oil, animal fats, and tall oil fatty acids, the latter from SCA’s paper and pulp mills.