Zaffra-led Concrete Chemicals receives €350m funding from EU’s CEEAG

Concrete Chemicals announced that it has secured €350m in public funding to develop electro-sustainable aviation fuels (e-SAF) in Germany under the Climate Energy and Environmental Aid Guidelines (CEEAG) framework.

“Zaffra and its partners are delivering the kind of frontier industrial innovation Europe urgently needs,” said Jan Toschka, CEO of Zaffra. “This project proves that it is possible to marry innovation with energy resilience, climate ambition, and economic competitiveness – all with European technology, German infrastructure, and Brandenburg-based jobs.”

Concrete Chemicals said that the funding has been approved at national and regional level, with the European Commission review now in its final phase.

However, the technical planning phase will begin immediately with a final investment decision targeted by 2027 and production expected to support the 2030 mandates.

The project, led by Zaffra and ENERTRAG, has planned production capacity of more than 37,000 tonnes (30,000 tonnes of e-SAF and 7,000 tonnes of e-naphtha) per year through power-to-liquid (PtL) process using biogenic CO2 and renewable hydrogen.

The consortium plans to source local CO2 through a cooperation with Schwedt-based manufacturer of recycled paper and cardboard products LEIPA Georg Leinfelder.

“With Concrete Chemicals, we are showing that the energy transition does not stop at electricity – it is now taking off in the skies,” said Gunar Hering, CEO at ENERTRAG. “Our expertise in renewables enables the cost-efficient use of green hydrogen to power the aviation fuels of the future.”

The project is designed in alignment with Germany’s emerging hydrogen infrastructure planning and the objectives of the IPCEI hydrogen framework.

Its location and system design allow for future connection to the national Hydrogen Core Network H2-Kernnetz.