SkyNRG has achieved financial close on a project to construct the Netherlands’ first large-scale sustainable aviation fuel production plant. The financing package includes a combination of debt and equity capital, positioning the company to accelerate its transition from fuel distributor to major SAF producer. KLM – Royal Dutch Airlines will act as the primary off-taker for output from the new facility, anchoring demand for the project.

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Amsterdam, SkyNRG was the first company to supply sustainable aviation fuel for a commercial flight in 2011, a milestone achieved in partnership with KLM. The company’s long-term objective is to expand global SAF capacity in support of the aviation sector’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Strategic Shift from Distribution to Production

SkyNRG initially focused on sourcing, blending, and distributing SAF while building partnerships aimed at stimulating supply growth worldwide. The company’s strategic direction shifted following significant capital injections, including a €175 million investment from Macquarie in 2023 and a €250 million commitment from Dutch pension asset manager APG in 2025.

These investments enabled SkyNRG to move upstream into the development and operation of its own production facilities. The Delfzijl project represents the first major step in establishing domestic industrial-scale SAF manufacturing within the Netherlands.

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Delfzijl Facility and Production Capacity

The new plant will be located at the Delfzijl chemical park in the northern Netherlands. Once operational, it is expected to produce approximately 100,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel annually. In addition to SAF, the facility will generate roughly 35,000 tonnes per year of sustainable by-products, including biobased propane, butane, and naphtha.

Production will use the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids pathway, which converts vegetable oils, waste oils, and fats into aviation fuel. The HEFA process is currently one of the most commercially established SAF production technologies, enabling significant lifecycle greenhouse gas reductions compared with conventional jet fuel.

Construction is already underway, with operations targeted to begin in mid-2028. SkyNRG projects that lifecycle emissions reductions from the fuel will initially reach around 80 percent relative to fossil jet fuel, with potential to exceed 90 percent as access to Dutch renewable energy increases and reliance on natural gas declines.

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Decarbonising Aviation Through Scaled Supply

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Maarten van Dijk emphasized the urgency of expanding SAF production to support aviation’s long-term climate objectives. He noted that sustainable aviation fuel will play a central role in enabling future air travel while reducing sectoral emissions.

The project aligns with broader European efforts to scale domestic SAF supply under evolving regulatory frameworks that increasingly mandate blending requirements and lifecycle emissions performance standards. By anchoring demand through KLM and securing institutional investment backing, SkyNRG aims to strengthen Europe’s SAF value chain and reduce dependence on imported volumes.

As airlines face mounting pressure to decarbonise operations without viable short-term alternatives to liquid fuels for long-haul flights, projects such as Delfzijl signal a shift toward industrial-scale SAF deployment. The facility’s progress toward commissioning in 2028 will be closely watched as a test case for expanding sustainable fuel production across the region.

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