Neste, HelleniQ Energy collaborate to boost availability of blended SAF in Greece

The first ship approaching HelleniQ Energy’s facilities in Thessaloniki, Greece. (Photo: HelleniQ Energy)

Neste and HelleniQ Energy, one of Southeast Europe’s leading energy groups, have collaborated to deliver blended Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to HelleniQ Energy’s facilities in Thessaloniki, Greece.

It is the first time that blended SAF is supplied to Greece in bulk using ships for transport.

The delivery of the blended SAF will increase the availability and accessibility of sustainable aviation fuel at airports throughout Greece, providing airlines and passengers a solution to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from air travel.

This delivery is particularly timely, coinciding with the summer tourist season, a crucial period for the Greek economy.

SAF has been widely acknowledged as a key lever in helping to achieve aviation’s emissions-reduction goals globally.

One of the challenges facing the industry, however, is the availability of SAF in sufficient quantities.

This partnership is a milestone as it marks the first time that SAF is being delivered to Greece in bulk via vessels instead of trucks, which reduces transport emissions.

This delivery will be followed by others during the remainder of 2024.

“HelleniQ Energy was the first to ensure the supply of Neste’s sustainable aviation fuel in Greece, already back in 2022,” said said Diomidis Stamoulis with HelleniQ Energy. “The expansion of the collaboration with Neste is in line with our group’s strategic goal to become a provider of low-carbon energy solutions and to continuously reduce our carbon footprint. Our aim is to facilitate aviation fuel suppliers, airlines and airports to prepare in a proactive manner for the upcoming European Union SAF mandate targets starting in 2025. This effort started two years ago when our subsidiary EKO began for the first time in Greece supplying Aegean aircraft with SAF for flights departing from Thessaloniki Airport ‘Makedonia,’ making it the seventh airport in the world where a SAF-fueled flight was realized. Now, this effort is expanding to the entire industry in Greece with even larger volumes, and at more airports.”

Alexander Kueper with Neste added, “Sustainable aviation fuel is a readily available solution for reducing the greenhouse-gas emissions from air travel. This cooperation with HelleniQ Energy to supply our SAF to Greece not only illustrates our commitment to supporting airlines in the Southeast European region but also the importance of cooperation with ambitious partners to increase SAF availability and adoption. We’re looking forward to further developing our cooperation with HelleniQ.”