Houston: Syzygy Plasmonics has signed a binding six-year agreement to supply Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to commodities major Trafigura, marking a major step toward commercial-scale production of alternative jet fuel. The agreement covers the full output of Syzygy’s first SAF facility, NovaSAF-1, with initial deliveries expected to begin in 2028, according to a press release.
The offtake deal has been signed between Trafigura and Syzygy’s subsidiary, SP Developments Uruguay S.A. It also gives Trafigura the option to purchase additional SAF volumes from Syzygy’s future projects, creating scope to supply larger quantities of compliant fuel as global regulations tighten.
The agreement comes as airlines face growing mandates to use SAF, while the availability of sustainable feedstocks remains limited. Industry studies have highlighted feedstock shortages as a major challenge to meeting long-term SAF targets. Syzygy’s approach seeks to address this issue by using widely available biogas combined with renewable electricity through a modular, electrified process. At scale, the company expects this pathway to be cost-competitive with, and potentially cheaper than, other SAF routes that rely on constrained resources such as used cooking oil.
Syzygy’s SAF pathway, branded NovaSAF™, has received pre-certification under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system to produce Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin and advanced bio-based SAF. This positions the technology as an additional option for regions such as Europe and the United Kingdom to meet 2030 emissions reduction targets.
Syzygy Plasmonics Chief Executive Officer Trevor Best said the agreement represents a major milestone in moving the company’s technology from development to large-scale deployment. He said securing a long-term buyer like Trafigura, along with the completion of front-end engineering design work in December, has cleared the way for the company to raise financing and begin construction of its first commercial plant.
The NovaSAF-1 project will be built in Durazno, Uruguay, and is expected to be the world’s first electrified facility converting biogas into SAF that meets RFNBO standards. The plant will use biogas sourced from the Estancias Del Lago powdered milk facility and renewable electricity generated in Uruguay to produce synthetic aviation fuel. Syzygy estimates the fuel will have lifecycle emissions about 90% lower than conventional jet fuel, while also offering strong economic returns.
Trafigura’s Head of Low Carbon Fuels Business Development, Jason Breslaw, said the agreement supports the company’s efforts to broaden SAF supply as regulations increasingly require the use of advanced fuels. He said Trafigura’s global low-carbon fuels network would help aviation customers meet regulatory needs efficiently, while backing a technology that offers both compliance and competitive costs.
With the NovaSAF-1 project serving as a commercial model, Syzygy plans to replicate the approach in other markets. The company has completed detailed engineering for the project and is now focused on raising capital to begin construction of the Uruguay plant, which it sees as a foundation for global expansion of its biogas-to-SAF technology.
