Neste to dedicate nearly half of existing Rotterdam plant capacity to SAF production

Photo: Neste Corp.

Pending a final investment decision late this year or early next, renewable diesel producer Neste Corp. says the company plans to spend 190 million euros to modify its renewable diesel production facility in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to enable production of up to 170 million gallons per year (mgy) of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as part of the biorefinery’s existing capacity. The Rotterdam complex currently produces mostly renewable diesel. With the new proposed upgrade to produce more SAF at the existing Rotterdam plant, nearly half of the site’s renewable manufacturing capacity would be capable of producing SAF with renewable diesel making up the remainder. Pending final approval, the project could be complete in the second half of 2023. According to Neste, this move is separate from the company’s recently announced decision in which Neste is selecting to build out its renewable refining capacity in Rotterdam over Porvoo, Finland.

With the company’s ongoing Singapore refinery expansion, Neste will have the capacity to produce more than half a-billion gallons of SAF by the end of 2023, up from just 34 mgy today.

“This SAF investment in Rotterdam is another important step for Neste in the execution of our growth strategy—to become a global leader in renewable and circular solutions,” said Peter Vanacker, president and CEO of Neste. “We have made a commitment to support our customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least up to 20 million tons by 2030. And as the aviation industry is likely to resume on a growth trajectory after its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing need and urgency to act on aviation-related emissions. Here sustainable aviation fuels offer considerable potential.”

Thorsten Lange, executive vice president of Neste’s renewable aviation division, said, “Aviation is at a turning point towards a more sustainable future. This extension of our SAF production capacity will support the aviation industry’s efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and the climate impact in the coming years. We are pleased that we will be ready to meet the growing demand of SAF, also driven by the European Union’s climate ambitions, which will shortly be translated into a proposal for binding legislation across Europe, not least because of the Netherlands’ leading role in this matter. Using SAF gives an immediate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It also reduces non-CO2 impacts, which are a large part of the total climate effects of aviation emissions. And it is already available today.”