St1 Nordic Refinery Implements Honeywell Technology to Produce SAF

On October 15, 2024, Honeywell announced that the St1 Refinery in Gothenburg, Sweden, has commenced the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using Honeywell’s Ecofining™ technology. This biorefinery will supply SAF to regional airlines, including Braathens Regional Airlines, as part of a broader initiative to transition to more sustainable energy sources. The adoption of Ecofining technology is aligned with Honeywell's strategy to respond to three significant megatrends, notably the energy transition and the future of aviation.

The Gothenburg facility is set to produce an impressive 200,000 tons of renewable fuels annually and is designed to utilize a variety of feedstocks, including used cooking oil, animal fats, and tall oil fatty acids derived from paper and pulp mills. In addition to SAF, the biorefinery will also generate biodiesel, bio-naphtha, and bio liquid petroleum gas. St1 estimates that the fuels produced will significantly reduce emissions from road and air traffic, cutting around 500,000 tons of CO2 annually when compared to fossil fuels.

Miika Eerola, St1's Head of Refining, Projects & HSSE, emphasized the importance of the Gothenburg biorefinery as a major milestone in the company’s roadmap for energy transition. He stated, "With Honeywell’s Ecofining technology, we are taking an important step toward realizing our vision of becoming the leading producer and seller of CO2-aware energy."

The SAF produced at the St1 facility will also contribute to the European Union's ReFuelEU initiative, which mandates that aviation fuel includes a blend of at least 2% SAF starting in 2025. This requirement will gradually rise, reaching 70% by 2050, thereby supporting the European Green Deal's climate neutrality goals within the same timeframe.

Honeywell has played a pioneering role in SAF production through its Ecofining process, developed in collaboration with Eni S.p.A., and has been commercially producing SAF since 2016. The company now provides a variety of solutions tailored to meet the surging demand for renewable fuels, including SAF, which can lower greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% when blended with traditional jet fuel compared to conventional fossil fuels.

Barry Glickman, Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions, remarked, "For more than a decade, our Ecofining technology has been an innovator in the renewable energy sector. In partnership with St1, we are proud to support the global energy transition and the European Union’s ReFuelEU initiative by providing proven technology to reduce CO2 emissions."

Globally, over 50 sites have licensed Honeywell's SAF technologies, with projected refinery capacities expected to surpass 500,000 barrels of renewable fuel per day upon full operation. Beyond SAF, Honeywell’s renewable fuels portfolio also encompasses Ethanol to Jet technology and eFining™, which converts green hydrogen and carbon dioxide into e-fuels.