Port-La-Nouvelle e-SAF Project

SAF+ International Group is developing its first European electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) facility at the Port of Port-La-Nouvelle in southern France. The project will produce approximately 75,000 tonnes per year of renewable synthetic hydrocarbons, primarily eSAF with some eNaphtha, using green hydrogen generated from renewable electricity combined with captured CO₂. The facility is intended to support compliance with the EU’s RefuelEU Aviation mandates beginning in 2030 and is expected to reduce lifecycle emissions by roughly 90% compared to conventional jet fuel while remaining compatible with existing aircraft and infrastructure under ASTM D7566 FT-SPK standards. The project is being developed by a Franco-Canadian consortium that includes Schneider Electric, Captura, Topsoe, Sasol, SEMOP Port La Nouvelle, and BBA Consultants. SAF+ secured up to 10 hectares of industrial land at the port to begin FEED studies for the facility. Schneider Electric is supporting energy management and industrial optimization for the site, while Captura was selected to supply CO₂ using its direct ocean capture (DOC) technology, which extracts dissolved CO₂ directly from seawater. The Port-La-Nouvelle location was selected due to its industrial infrastructure, logistics capabilities, and strategic position within a growing low-carbon industrial cluster in southern France. The project represents one of the first announced commercial-scale integrations of direct ocean capture with eSAF production in Europe and highlights growing momentum around synthetic aviation fuels as airlines prepare for tightening European sustainable fuel mandates.