Exclusive: Swiss startup picks Rotterdam for green aviation fuel plant

Swiss tech startup Metafuels has unveiled plans to open its first commercial-scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in the Port of Rotterdam. Metafuels’ CEO Saurabh Kapoor told TNW that Turbe represents a “major step forward” toward ramping up SAF production. “Europe has ambitious decarbonisation targets, but without scalable and affordable SAF production, aviation will struggle to keep up,” said Kapoor. Metafuels’ “aerobrew” technology converts renewable methanol into jet fuel, using a process it claims delivers high energy efficiency and up to 90% lower life cycle emissions than conventional jet fuel. SAF made up only 0.53% of global aircraft fuel use in 2024.