KLM, SkyNRG and SHV Energy greenlight the world’s largest stand-alone sustainable aviation fuels project

From the Netherlands comes news that, SkyNRG will develop Europe’s first dedicated plant for the production of SAF in Delfzijl. KLM has committed to a 10-year, 75,000 tonne per year aviation fuels order for 10 years.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and SHV Energy (a global leader in LPG distribution) will also invest in the facility and SHV will purchase the bioLPG produced. The project, overall, will specialize in producing aviation fuels, bioLPG and naphtha, primarily using regional waste and residue streams as feedstock.

Key Project details

The new production plant is a SkyNRG project, called DSL-01, and will be dedicated to production of sustainable aviation fuel. From 2022, the plant will annually produce 100,000 tonnes of SAF, as well as 15,000 tonnes of bioLPG, as a by-product. It will mean a CO2 reduction of 270,000 tonnes a year for the aviation industry.

SkyNRG’s planned refinery is the first in world to be entirely dedicated to producing renewable jet fuel and the first in Europe to produce certified SAF. It is the first of a series of planned SkyNRG refineries placed centrally at aviation hubs all over the world in order to provide SAF locally via direct supply lines.

Haldor Topsoe.  SkyNRG has chosen Haldor Topsoe’s world-leading technology for production of renewable diesel and jet fuel for their planned facility. Under the agreement, Topsoe will be the licensor and supplier of basic engineering, proprietary equipment, catalyst and technical services. The project is based on HydroFlex™, a world-leading, industry-proven Topsoe technology that produces renewable fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel, from all renewable feedstocks. It can be deployed in both grassroots units and revamps for co-processing or stand-alone applications.

CO2 reduction of 85%.  The feedstocks used for production will be waste and residue streams, such as used cooking oil, coming predominantly from regional industries. The facility will run on sustainable hydrogen, which is produced using water and wind energy. This sustainable aviation fuel delivers a CO2 reduction of at least 85%, compared to fossil fuel. T

Partners.  In addition to KLM and SHV Energy, SkyNRG has joined hands with various other partners in the Netherlands and beyond, on the DSL-1 project: EIT Climate-KIC, Royal Schiphol Group, GROEIfonds, NV NOM, Groningen Seaports, Nouryon, Gasunie, Arcadis, TechnipFMC, Haldor Topsoe, Desmet Ballestra, Susteen Technologies, and MBP Solutions. These partners will be involved in various phases of the project.

Reaction from the stakeholders

Pieter Elbers, KLM President & CEO: “I am proud of our collaboration with SkyNRG and SHV Energy to launch a project that will see the development of the first European production facility for sustainable aviation fuel. The advent of aviation has had a major impact on the world, offering a new means of bringing people closer together. This privilege goes hand in hand with huge responsibility towards our planet. KLM takes this very seriously and has therefore invested in sustainability for many years. By joining hands with other parties, we can build a plant that will accelerate the development of sustainable aviation fuel. From 2022, the plant will produce 100,000 tonnes a year, of which KLM will purchase 75,000 tonnes. This will reduce our CO2 emissions by 200,000 tonnes a year, which is equal to the emissions released by 1,000 KLM flights between Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro.

Maarten van Dijk, Executive Director of SkyNRG: “We are very proud to announce this project today and that we will be realizing it in the Netherlands together with such strong partners. For us and our partners, this project is an important milestone in further upscaling the market for sustainable aviation fuel. We are the first to take a step on this scale and we hope it will serve as an example to the rest of the industry in the transition towards a sustainable future for commercial aviation.”

Morten Schaldemose, Executive Vice President, Haldor Topsoe. “We are very proud that a front-runner such as SkyNRG has chosen our HydroFlex technology for their first jet fuel refinery. We look forward to working together to show that flying can be more sustainable.”

Bram Gräber, CEO of SHV Energy: “We are proud of our innovative collaboration with SkyNRG and KLM, enabling us to make a positive contribution to energy transition. This investment closely aligns with SHV Energy’s strategy to further increase the share of sustainably produced energy products. Our customers in Europe, many of whom are not connected to the natural gas grid, rely on SHV Energy to meet their energy needs efficiently, sustainably and safely. As pioneers in the field of bioLPG, we are pleased that this project will add 15,000 tonnes of bioLPG to our annual supply. This amounts to more than 35,000 tonnes of CO2 reduction.”

Jenny Walther-Thoss, WWF & Member of SkyNRG’s independent Sustainability Board: “From the first plans in 2016, this project has been thoroughly discussed with the SkyNRG Sustainability Board. We are comfortable with the steps taken to safeguard its sustainability performance, in particular on the strict feedstock sourcing strategy.”

Rolf Hogan, Executive Director of RSB: “We are pleased and proud that KLM and SkyNRG are committed to RSB certification of the sustainable aviation fuel. Our standards are globally considered to be the best in class. Our 12 comprehensive principles include greenhouse gas emissions, human and labour rights, practices to maintain soil health and water use and rural and social development. None of the other standards use such a broad range of criteria.”