Metafuels, Evos finalise Rotterdam for e-SAF site

Swiss aviation technology firm Metafuels said it has partnered with Evos Rotterdam to develop a synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF) production plant at the Port of Rotterdam.

The plant, named Turbe, will employ aerobrew methanol-to-jet technology.

“We have made excellent progress with our technology, and this first-of-a-kind commercial plant represents a major step forward in its commercial deployment. We are very excited about our cooperation with Evos as we work towards delivering the Turbe project. Europe has ambitious decarbonisation targets, but without scalable and affordable SAF production, aviation will struggle to keep up,” said Saurabh Kapoor, CEO, Metafuels.

Turbe will initially produce 12,000 litres of e-SAF per day, with plans for a second phase to increase production tenfold to 120,000 litres per day.

In just over two years, Metafuels has raised $22m, including a $5m grant from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, making it one of Europe’s best-funded SAF startups.

The Evos Rotterdam terminal is a dedicated multimodal methanol hub and the largest ethanol storage provider in Europe. It offers full connectivity across vessel, barge, truck, and rail, with facilities to store renewable methanol that meets International Methanol Producers and Consumers Association (IMPCA) specifications.

“Metafuels is addressing one of the aviation sector’s most urgent challenges. With our robust infrastructure, utilities, and operational expertise, we are poised to support the deployment of Metafuels’ sustainable aviation fuel project. This cooperation demonstrates our commitment to supporting the implementation of scalable, efficient solutions that will drive the aviation industry’s transition to net-zero emissions,” said Christiaan Kop, managing director at Evos Rotterdam.

Metafuels’ aerobrew technology converts sustainably produced methanol into jet fuel with high energetic efficiency and ultra-high carbon conversion. The result is a drop-in fuel that reduces life cycle emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional jet fuel, without requiring aircraft re-engineering or infrastructure changes.