LanzaTech selects North Sea Port, Ghent as site for Europe’s first commercial alcohol-to-jet SAF facility
- The €500-MM facility will produce 79,000 tpy of SAF and 9,000 tpy of renewable diesel
North Sea Port announced that LanzaTech Global, Inc., a member of the FLITE (Fuel via Low carbon Integrated Technology from Ethanol) consortium, has selected North Sea Port, Ghent, Belgium as the permanent site for what will be Europe’s first commercial-scale Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility using the LanzaJet™ ATJ Process. LanzaTech has simultaneously confirmed the imminent submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping notification with Belgian authorities, marking a major de-risking milestone on the project’s path toward Financial Investment Decision (FID). The FLITE consortium is supported by EU Horizon 2020 funding.
The FLITE project will deliver significant economic benefits to the Ghent region, creating around 50 permanent high-quality jobs once operational, alongside an average of 300 FTE positions throughout the 3-year construction period. Local businesses will be given opportunities to tender and provide construction staff, ensuring the project’s investment is felt across the wider regional economy.
“We are thrilled to welcome FLITE to North Sea Port,” said Cas König, CEO of North Sea Port. “The FLITE project is an excellent fit with our Impact 2030 plan and the broader sustainability ambitions of the City of Ghent and Province of Flanders. Our mature industrial ecosystem and multimodal connectivity mean FLITE can hit the ground running, with existing utilities infrastructure, a skilled local workforce, and well-developed fuel logistics operations already in place. North Sea Port is the ideal home for a project of this ambition and scale, and we look forward to FLITE becoming a valued and long-term partner within our community.”
“We are delighted to have chosen North Sea Port, Ghent as the home for FLITE,” said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. “This is a world-class location that gives the project every advantage it needs to succeed. The site’s mature and diverse industrial ecosystem not only reduces development risk but also provides a strong foundation of partnership opportunities to complement and support the project, including proximity to the ArcelorMittal Steelanol ethanol plant located directly across the canal from the site. We are committed to being a safe, responsible and sustainable neighbour as we build and operate the facility. With FEED substantially complete, site secured, feedstock supply LOIs in place and offtake frameworks established, the submission of our EIA scoping notification will mark a defining moment in the project’s development, and we look forward to engaging with investors who share our ambition to make FLITE a cornerstone of European sustainable aviation supply.”
Designed to be fully compliant with CORSIA, EU ReFuelEU Aviation, and UK SAF Mandate regulations, FLITE’s SAF will meet the highest international standards, giving investors confidence in the product’s credentials and its potential to access multiple high-value compliance markets.
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