Metafuels AG is to open a new synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF) production plant in the Port of Rotterdam. Evos and Metafuels are working together to take the next steps to progress the development of the project. 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 (€20 million), including a $5 million (€4.4 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.
Saurabh Kapoor, CEO of Metafuels, says: ‘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, adds: ‘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.’
