SAF One announces new investment and technology partners for Middle East SAF project

Investment fund SAFFA is to inject up to $30 million into a Middle East sustainable aviation fuel project under development by Dubai-based SAF One Energy Management that is due to break ground this year and targeting production by the end of 2028. With $10 million of the total already invested, SAFFA will scale its investment over time as the project progresses and SAF is offered to the aviation industry. SAF One has also announced two new partners to the project, the location of which is still to be disclosed, with India’s Tata Projects selected as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) lead and Honeywell UOP providing its Ecofining process technology to produce HEFA-based SAF. Together, they will deliver an integrated solution tailored to SAF One’s project requirements. SAF One plans to develop a portfolio of SAF facilities globally, including one in India.

The SAFFA Fund is managed by US-based Burnham Sterling Asset Management with an objective to accelerate the production of SAF, and its co-investors include Airbus, Air France-KLM Group, BNP Paribas, CMA-CGM, Mitusbishi HC Capital and Qantas Airways. The commitment from the eight partners amounts to an aggregate of around $208 million.

“Scaling SAF globally requires collaboration across the ecosystem and SAF One is an ideal partner that has made excellent progress on its project in the Middle East,” said Michael Dickey Morgan, Executive Managing Director of Burnham Sterling. “We look forward to SAF One becoming a key supplier of SAF for the global aviation industry.”

Welcoming the investment, Mounir Kuzbari, co-founder and Executive Chair of SAF One said he believes the project will be the first to deliver SAF out of the Middle East region.

Added Deepak Munganahalli, co-founder and CEO of the company: “SAF One’s mission is to deliver customised solutions to its aviation industry customers, recognising that customer adoption and support is critical to scaling SAF production globally.”

The investment announcement coincides with the selection of two major players in the construction of the first project.

Tata Projects, part of the global Tata Group, says its role in the project will encompass overall project integration, constructability-driven design development and “execution readiness” for a first-of-its-kind SAF facility in the region.

“As EPC partner, we will deliver an integrated, scalable project solution, leveraging its approach of standardised designs, advanced construction methodologies and optimised modular execution strategies,” explained the company. “This approach is aimed at improving schedule predictability, optimising capital efficiency and enabling faster replication of SAF facilities across multiple geographies.

“The project configuration integrates globally proven process technologies for feedstock pre-treatment and hydroprocessing, ensuring flexibility across multiple waste-based feedstocks and compliance with ASTM D7566 international SAF specifications.”

Added Rajiv Menon, Tata Project’s President & COO – Energy & Industrial Business: “By combining standardised design philosophies with modular construction and disciplined project delivery, we aim to enable faster deployment of SAF projects globally.”

Tata Projects and SAF One say they are also progressing discussions for a SAF project in India.

Honeywell’s UOP Ecofining process technology, developed in collaboration with Eni, processes waste fats, oils and greases into renewable diesel and SAF, and has been used to produce SAF commercially since 2016.

“Our Ecofining process technology broadens the potential feedstock base for SAF and enables producers to adapt to shifting market conditions and resource availability. By leveraging our experience and continuous advancements in process engineering, we aim to make SAF production more economically feasible,” said Rajesh Gattupalli, President, Honeywell UOP.

“The installation of our Ecofining process technology with SAF One and Tata Projects demonstrates our leadership in SAF production and ability to help produce renewable fuels at scale.”

Responding to the selection of the two partners, SAF One’s Munganahalli said: “Their techno-commercial expertise supports SAF One’s ‘design one, build many’ approach across our pipeline of SAF projects. This collaboration strengthens our platform and enables us to work with our customers on scalable long-term decarbonisation solutions.”

Photo: SAF One and Honeywell representatives sign Ecofining agreement for Middle East SAF project

Christopher Surgenor
Editor