Sasol, Topsoe sign SAF joint-venture agreement

Sasol, the global chemicals and energy company, and Topsoe, a global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies, announced June 21 that they have signed a landmark agreement to establish a 50/50 joint venture (subject to approval by relevant authorities), solidifying their commitment to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and contribute to global efforts in combating climate change.

The companies first signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect in February.

Global mobility connecting people, cultures and businesses across continents allows progress and freedom, but it also comes with the challenge of carbon emissions.

The aviation sector alone contributes 2 percent to 3 percent of global carbon emissions.

SAF is called for globally by industry and regulators to decarbonize air transport.

The future joint venture will go beyond the unique combination of technologies, capabilities and deep industry experience—to lay the foundation to go beyond in the production scaling of SAF, Topsoe stated.

The purpose of the Sasol-Topsoe joint venture is to develop, build, own and operate SAF plants, and market SAF derived primarily from nonfossil feedstock, utilizing green hydrogen, sustainable sources of CO2 and/or biomass with a specific focus on Sasol’s Fischer Tropsch and Topsoe’s related technologies.

Together, this proven partnership intends to bring future-proof solutions to the market.

Fleetwood Grobler, Sasol’s president and CEO, highlighted the long-term ambitions of Sasol in SAF.

"Sasol is delighted to join forces with Topsoe, furthering our global sustainable aviation fuel aspiration,” Grobler said. “This is an important milestone in advancing our long-term strategy to become net zero by 2050. As we transform our business to focus on decarbonization while preserving and growing value, this joint venture is testament to the decades of collaboration between our two companies.”

Roeland Baan, CEO at Topsoe, expressed his enthusiasm for this milestone.

“As part of our proven partnership, this future business is an important moment of progress at a critical time,” Baan said. “We need to keep the world open by creating more sustainable ways of flying, and our shared commitment to accelerating sustainable aviation fuels is a vital part of this. We believe no one is better placed than the company formed by Sasol and Topsoe to deliver the means to scale SAF production.”