The project builds on Metafuels’ expanding European footprint, following the 2024 announcement of Pizol – planned production facility in Denmark. The Rotterdam plant, named 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.
Metafuels’ rapid growth is fuelled by strong investment support. In just over two years, the company has raised $22 million, including a $5 million grant from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, making it one of Europe’s best-funded SAF startups.
Evos Rotterdam 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.
As a promising alternative to fossil fuels, renewable methanol plays a critical role in sectors where decarbonisation is challenging, serving as a clean bunker fuel in marine transport and as an intermediate product in sustainable aviation fuel production, particularly within innovative e-SAF pathways.
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.
“aerobrew” SAF plants can process bio-methanol or e-methanol interchangeably, allowing the production of bio-SAF or e-SAF, or both simultaneously, in response to market signals. Bio-methanol can be produced, for example, from biological waste, while e-SAF uses renewable electricity and captured carbon to create synthetic fuels, offering a truly scalable and future-proof solution for aviation decarbonisation.
The development of the Turbe plant is progressing steadily, with key milestones already achieved. The next phase for Metafuels will be the launch of front-end engineering and design (FEED), followed by a Final Investment Decision (FID) in mid-2026.
The project aligns with major European sustainability initiatives, including RefuelEU Aviation, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), and other legislation aimed at advancing the aviation industry’s transition to net-zero emissions.
Europe is expected to lead the adoption of synthetic or e-fuels, driven by strong regulatory support. Policymakers are relying on a substantial increase in e-SAF capacity over the next decade, with the EU’s synthetic SAF sub-mandate set to begin at 1.2% from 2030 rising to 35% from 2050.
Saurabh Kapoor, CEO of Metafuels, commented: “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.”
Christiaan Kop, Managing Director at Evos Rotterdam, commented: “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.”
Boudewijn Siemons, CEO Port of Rotterdam, commented: “We are delighted that Metafuels, as an innovative producer of e-SAF, has chosen Rotterdam for the development of a new production facility. We welcome their collaboration with Evos, allowing Metafuels to use Evos’ existing methanol infrastructure. This development contributes to the climate goals for aviation and further strengthens Rotterdam’s position as a leading hub for renewable fuels.”
Metafuels is a Zurich-based aviation tech startup, focused on the development and deployment of proprietary sustainable fuel technologies, with an initial focus on synthetic aviation fuel. Metafuels is positioned to address one of the most challenging areas of decarbonisation, with the aviation industry responsible for up to 3.5% of total global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Metafuels intends to develop and bring to market sustainable aviation fuels which do not require a re-engineering or re-purchasing of existing aircraft, or aviation logistics infrastructure. For more information, visit metafuels.ch
