South Africa's Phelan Green Receives License to Build 470 Billion Rand eSAF Facility by End of 2026

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Phelan Green Hydrogen has obtained a technology license from Johnson Matthey Catalyst Technologies (JM CT) for its planned electronic sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) production facility in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Located in Saldanha Bay, the facility is expected to begin construction by the end of 2026 and is part of the broader Phelan Green Hydrogen Project, which is projected to require an investment of 470 billion South African rand (over £20 billion).

Obtaining the license marks the first phase of the project. Once completed, the facility is expected to become one of the world's first commercial-scale eSAF production facilities, capable of producing approximately 35,000 tonnes of eSAF annually, with plans to supply the European Union and UK markets. This output represents up to 6% of the EU and UK's mandatory eSAF production target for 2030. Upon completion of all phases, the facility is expected to supply a total of approximately 140,000 tonnes of eSAF per year.

JM's HyCOgen™ technology uses a catalytic process to convert CO₂ and electrolytic (green) hydrogen into carbon monoxide (CO). The CO is then combined with additional hydrogen to form synthesis gas. The HyCOgen technology is integrated with FT CANS™ technology, co-developed and co-owned by JM and bp, which converts synthesis gas into synthetic crude oil, thereby enhancing overall process efficiency. The synthetic crude oil is then upgraded to produce synthetic paraffinic kerosene.

Alberto Giovanzana, CEO of JM CT, stated that Phelan Green's plan to build an eSAF facility in the Western Cape is a landmark project that will become one of the world's first commercial-scale eSAF facilities, clearly demonstrating that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can now be scaled. This also marks the first deployment of HyCOgen and FT CANS technologies by Johnson Matthey in Africa.

Blair Phelan, Managing Director of the Phelan Green Group, said that signing these licensing and engineering agreements with Johnson Matthey completes the project's technological foundation. The team's support has been crucial to the project's progress, and they are now ready to convert renewable energy, CO₂, and water into sustainable aviation fuel, proving that eSAF can be commercially produced in South Africa.

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