NorSAF and Nova Pangaea have entered into a partnership aimed at addressing Europe’s growing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) demand while developing more resilient, locally sourced feedstock supply chains, Hydrocarbon Engineering reported.
SAF production in Europe is expected to expand significantly over the coming decade. Under EU regulations, aviation fuel suppliers must increase the share of SAF supplied at EU airports from 2% in 2025 to 6% in 2030 and 20% by 2035.
Although Europe produces a significant share of its current SAF domestically, the sector relies heavily on Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) technology. Meeting the regulated targets through this pathway requires large quantities of feedstocks such as used cooking oil.
Around 85% of Europe’s SAF feedstocks are currently sourced from overseas, with China accounting for 61% of the supply.
While existing production capacity is technically expected to support Europe’s near-term 2030 targets, continued dependence on imported feedstocks, including Chinese used cooking oil, could create supply chain security risks as SAF demand increases.
Agricultural and forestry residues could provide regional alternatives, particularly in countries such as Latvia, where these biomass resources are available. The partners said advanced SAF plants such as NorSAF could help utilise these resources to produce aviation fuel from alternative local feedstocks.
Nova Pangaea’s REFNOVA® technology converts waste biomass, including woody and agricultural residues, into ethanol and biochar. The biochar acts as a co-product that permanently captures carbon, making the overall process carbon negative.
The locally produced ethanol can subsequently be converted into SAF through the alcohol-to-jet pathway as part of NorSAF’s planned SAF production.
Janis Kisiels, founder and Board Member of NorSAF, said Europe’s energy security would require not only reducing fossil-fuel imports but also developing domestic industrial capacity to produce the clean fuels that will replace them.
He said Europe’s dependence on overseas feedstocks such as used cooking oil leaves the aviation sector exposed to international supply chain disruptions. According to Kisiels, using waste resources available in Europe, particularly in the Baltic region, could help establish a domestic and resilient SAF supply chain.
“Our partnership with Nova Pangaea is a crucial milestone in developing that strategic capability right here in Latvia, ensuring our future SAF production is sustainable, secure, and locally anchored,” he said.
Jonathan Wood, Chief Commercial Officer of Nova Pangaea, said the partnership would provide NorSAF’s SAF project with carbon-negative ethanol produced from locally sourced biomass waste.
He described the collaboration as a model for partnerships needed to expand SAF production in Europe and other regions by strengthening energy security, creating domestic industries, generating jobs and economic growth, and reducing fossil-fuel emissions.
Wood cited International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that Europe has sufficient waste biomass resources to produce enough SAF to meet its ambitious 2050 targets.
