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Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and e-SAF
We help owners choose and develop the SAF route that fits their feedstock, power and site. That means HEFA from waste oils and fats, alcohol-to-jet, or e-SAF made from green hydrogen and captured CO₂ by the Fischer-Tropsch or methanol route.
Our experience
How we work in this field
As Head of Business Development and Projects at PT ESSA Industries Indonesia Tbk, our founder took the group's HEFA-SPK SAF project from concept to an FID-ready stage. He ran the licensor comparison across Topsoe, Axens, Chevron Lummus, UOP-Honeywell, Sulzer and NextChem on yield, hydrogen demand, capital cost and operability.
A HEFA unit lives or dies on feedstock quality, because pre-treatment drives catalyst life and uptime. We have compared lipid pre-treatment packages from Desmet, Alfa Laval, BDI, Crown, Air Liquide, NextChem, ARA and Oiltek, and run pre-FEED on cleaning used cooking oil with a hydrogen add-on.
HEFA is the proven route today, but waste oils and fats are limited. e-SAF is the route that can grow with renewable power. It makes jet fuel from green hydrogen and captured CO₂, and there are two main ways to do it.
The Fischer-Tropsch route. CO₂ and hydrogen are first turned into syngas, by reverse water-gas shift, co-electrolysis or electric steam reforming. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis then builds long hydrocarbon chains. The waxes are hydrocracked and fractionated into jet fuel, with diesel and naphtha as co-products. FT synthetic kerosene is approved under ASTM D7566 Annex A1 for blends of up to 50%. The same synthesis runs on syngas from gasified biomass or municipal waste, which gives bio-FT SAF.
The methanol route. Green hydrogen and CO₂ make e-methanol first. The methanol is turned into olefins, which are joined into longer chains, hydrogenated and fractionated into jet fuel. ASTM added methanol as a feedstock to the alcohol-to-jet annex, A5, in July 2026, also for blends of up to 50%. This ties e-SAF to e-methanol plants. We have done pre-FEED for e-methanol from green hydrogen and biogenic CO₂, and FEED and optimisation for e-methanol and bio-methanol.
We have also studied alcohol-to-jet from ethanol with KBR, Chevron Lummus, Axens and LanzaJet. For every route, the price of hydrogen and power decides the price of the fuel. Europe's ReFuelEU Aviation rule now sets a separate quota for synthetic fuel, starting at 1.2% of jet fuel in 2030 and rising to 35% by 2050.
Getting a first plant to FID in Indonesia means working with licensors, lenders and a local EPC. We have done that from the owner's side on a USD 850 million ammonia complex, and the same road applies to SAF.
At a glance
- HEFA-SPK SAF project taken to FID-ready stage, Indonesia
- Six SAF licensors compared side by side
- Eight lipid pre-treatment packages compared
- e-SAF routes studied: Fischer-Tropsch and methanol-to-jet
- Pre-FEED and FEED for e-methanol and bio-methanol
- Panellist, Building Indonesia's SAF Ecosystem, Jakarta 2026
Services
What we do
Pathway selection
Comparing HEFA, alcohol-to-jet, Fischer-Tropsch and methanol-to-jet for a given feedstock, power price, site and budget.
e-SAF and power-to-liquid
Green hydrogen, the CO₂ source, the syngas or methanol step, and the synthesis unit, sized and costed as one chain.
Licensor comparison
Side-by-side review of licensors on yield, hydrogen demand, capital cost and operability.
Feedstock and pre-treatment
Used cooking oil, palm residues and other lipids, and the pre-treatment they need before a HEFA unit.
Path to FID
Pre-FEED and FEED, cost estimates and the lender package needed to reach a final investment decision.
Owner's engineering
Procurement strategy, local content, contractor oversight and supervision through to start-up.
Talks and papers
The work behind this page
Questions
Common questions
What is sustainable aviation fuel?
SAF is jet fuel made from renewable or waste sources instead of crude oil. It can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in today's aircraft.
What is e-SAF?
e-SAF, also called power-to-liquid fuel, is jet fuel made from green hydrogen and captured CO₂. The two main routes are Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and methanol-to-jet. Both are approved for blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel.
Which SAF route is best?
It depends on the feedstock, the power price and the site. Waste oils and fats suit HEFA, which is the proven route today. Ethanol suits alcohol-to-jet. Cheap renewable power with a steady CO₂ source suits e-SAF by Fischer-Tropsch or methanol. We compare them for your case.
Other practice areas
Talk to us about your project
Email info@namindo.com.au or call +61 426 087 878. We reply within two working days.
Contact details