Cracking the Code: A New Wave of Innovators Is Decoding the Enigma of Abundant SAF at Scale

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) They aren’t huddled over Enigma machines in a wartime hut — but today’s codebreakers are in refineries, labs, and government offices, puzzling out how to make Sustainable Aviation Fuel affordable, abundant, and everywhere. From hydrocracker hacks in Croatia to post‑Brexit fuel moonshots in the UK, from Hawaii’s island‑energy puzzle to solar‑made jet fuel in Switzerland, a new wave of innovators is showing how to crack the hardest code in aviation: scaling SAF without breaking the system that keeps planes (and economies) in the air.

The Hydrocracker Hack: CLG & INA Break New Ground

Chevron Lummus Global (CLG) and Croatia’s INA recently pulled off a milestone demonstration at INA’s hydrocracker unit, proving that legacy infrastructure can be deftly retooled to co‑process bio‑based and fossil feedstocks at scale. The test involved 1,000 tonnes of 5% palm oil mill effluent (POME) alongside fossil feedstocks — a first for the site — yielding ISCC‑certified clean fuels under the watch of independent body Bureau Veritas d.o.o.

This wasn’t just a “plug‑and‑play” switch. The project required custom filters, re‑engineered laboratory methods, and boosted capacity in both hydrocracking and vacuum distillation units — all while keeping the biogenic feedstock within safe operating parameters.

CLG and INA’s work shows how existing assets can be bent toward the future without breaking budgets or production schedules. And this isn’t a one‑off stunt: INA plans to complete all preparatory work by 2029, positioning itself for continuous SAF supply.

Post‑Brexit: The UK’s Fuel Codebreakers

If Bletchley Park cracked wartime ciphers, the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) is cracking the supply code for jet fuel’s low‑carbon future.

Through its Advanced Fuels Fund (AFF), DfT just backed Essar Energy Transition to build one of the UK’s largest advanced SAF production hubs at Stanlow. The Methanol‑to‑Jet facility is slated to produce 200,000 tons of SAF per year, drawing from 550,000 tpa of renewable e‑methanol and bio‑methanol, including supplies from Essar Future Energies’ upcoming project in Gujarat, India.

Island Ciphers: Hawaii & Tahiti Rewrite Their Fuel Future

For islands, energy is its own Enigma — and Hawaii is cracking the code with one of its biggest SAF plays yet.

Par Pacific Holdings, Mitsubishi, and ENEOS Corporation have joined forces under the banner Hawaii Renewables to produce renewable fuels at Par Pacific’s Kapolei refinery. Mitsubishi and ENEOS, via Alohi Renewable Energy, LLC, are putting up $100M for a 36.5% stake, with Par Pacific leading project execution.

And in French Polynesia, Atoba Energy and Air Moana are taking a similar path, locking in a 10‑year SAF offtake deal that ramps up from 2026 through 2035, blending physical delivery with a book‑and‑claim system to meet ReFuelEU targets.

Solar Decoded: SWISS & Synhelion Turn Sunlight Into Jet Fuel

In perhaps the most poetic codebreak yet, SWISS International Air Lines became the first airline to integrate solar‑made jet fuel into regular operations.

Swiss‑based Synhelion delivered 190 liters of synthetic crude — created at its DAWN solar‑thermal plant — to a northern German refinery, where it was processed into certified Jet‑A1 fuel. It was then fed into the Hamburg Airport supply system and blended for SWISS flights.

“A genuine milestone,” said CEO Jens Fehlinger, calling it a proud investment in Swiss innovation and a vital step toward wall‑to‑wall renewable aviation.

Cracking the Registry: Ensuring Trust in SAF

The Civil Aviation Decarbonization Organization (CADO) and 4AIR have joined forces to harmonize SAF registries across commercial and business aviation, eliminating double‑counting risks and streamlining emissions claims. “It sends a strong demand signal for more SAF,” said 4AIR President Kennedy Ricci, emphasizing the importance of transparency and integrity in the emerging market.

From Riga to the Runway: The Baltic Breakthrough

And in Latvia, a priority project for the Latvian Investment and Development Agency has broken ground: a 236,000‑ton feedstock plant in Riga, expected to produce 93,000 tons of HVO and 87,000 tons of SAF annually — enough to cover 100% of Baltic aviation demand and export 70% of production.

The Bigger Picture: From Enigma to Everyday

Each of these moves — whether hacking hydrocrackers, repurposing pipelines, or rewriting sunlight into fuel — chips away at the central cipher: How do we make enough SAF, cheaply enough, to decarbonize global aviation?

The code isn’t fully broken yet. But these projects prove it’s crackable. READ MORE