Topsoe and Sasol have signed licensing and engineering agreements with Allied Biofuels Foreign Enterprise Limited Liability Company to supply technology for a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility in Uzbekistan's Khorezm region, marking a key milestone in the development of one of Central Asia's largest clean aviation fuel projects.
According to the companies, the facility will produce approximately 300,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and electric sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) annually using Topsoe's SynCOR™ technology and Sasol's Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technology. The project is part of a broader integrated clean fuels complex expected to produce more than 400,000 tons of aviation fuel per year.
The final investment decision for the project is expected in 2027, while commercial operations are targeted to begin in 2030.
Under the agreements, Topsoe and Sasol will provide the core technology license, engineering design package, and technical services for the eSAF production process.
The production facility will combine Topsoe's proprietary SynCOR™ technology with Sasol's Fischer-Tropsch process to produce aviation fuel from multiple feedstocks, including biomass, green hydrogen, and captured carbon dioxide.
According to the companies, the integrated production process is designed to provide flexibility in feedstock selection while supporting the production of lower-carbon aviation fuels.
The project forms part of Allied Biofuels' planned $6.1bn integrated clean fuels development in the Khorezm region, which the company describes as Central Asia's first large-scale integrated biorefinery for the production of SAF, eSAF, and renewable diesel.
The facility is intended to supply aviation fuel to domestic, regional, and international markets through the integration of renewable energy sources, advanced fuel conversion technologies, and international engineering expertise.
Topsoe Chief Commercial Officer Yassir Ghiyati said the project represents the company's first eSAF project in Uzbekistan and combines technologies from both companies to support production using multiple feedstocks.
Sasol Executive Vice President for Business Building, Strategy and Technology Sarushen Pillay said the agreement builds on more than three decades of cooperation between Sasol and Topsoe and reflects continued commercial deployment of the company's Fischer-Tropsch technology.
Allied Biofuels Managing Director Alfred Benedict said the agreements establish the project's engineering and technology foundation and support the company's plans to develop large-scale production of sustainable aviation fuels.
The project comes as demand for sustainable aviation fuel continues to increase alongside new regulatory requirements in key international markets.
The European Union's ReFuelEU Aviation regulation requires fuel suppliers to provide eSAF equivalent to 1.2% of aviation fuel supplied at EU airports by 2030, with the requirement increasing to 35% by 2050.
Sustainable aviation fuel is produced from renewable feedstocks and is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from air transport by replacing conventional jet fuel. The project will utilize Topsoe's SynCOR™ reforming technology together with the jointly developed G2L™ process, which enables the conversion of renewable feedstocks such as biomass, captured carbon dioxide, and hydrogen into aviation fuels.
