The search for alternatives to fossil fuels is gaining momentum in the aviation sector at a time when international tensions continue to affect energy prices and supplies. In Portugal, an investment of hundreds of millions of euros is being prepared linked to the production of sustainable fuel for aircraft, in a project that could change the country’s positioning in this industrial area.
According to the newspaper, the French company Elyse Energy has taken the first formal steps to install a production unit for SAF, a sustainable aviation fuel, in Figueira da Foz. The estimated investment is around R$800 million and the process is currently in the preliminary environmental licensing phase.
Project designed to export green fuel
The future industrial unit will be installed in the parish of Marinha das Ondas, in an area close to the Navigator industrial complex. According to the same source, the land will occupy around 31.8 hectares and will have the capacity to produce 200,000 tonnes of sustainable fuels intended mainly for export.
The proposal presented to the Portuguese Environment Agency includes a “scope definition proposal”, a step that precedes the environmental impact study and serves to collect technical contributions before the definitive assessment, writes the newspaper.
Energy crisis accelerated search for alternatives
The project comes at a time when the aviation sector is facing pressure due to supply difficulties and rising jet fuel costs. According to the same source, the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has made 2026 particularly challenging for airlines.
The possibility of producing sustainable fuel on European territory has, therefore, come to be seen as a way of reducing external dependencies and increasing the aviation industry’s response capacity.
France bets on Portugal to grow
Elyse Energy was created in 2020 and opened a subsidiary in Portugal in 2023. According to Expresso, the company’s main shareholders are Falkor and Vol-V, both linked to the renewable energy and biomethane sector in France.
Among the company’s financial partners is the French management company Mirova, adds the publication.
Project wants to accelerate licensing
In recent months, investors have met with several Portuguese entities, including the Figueira da Foz City Council, CCDR Centro, Government ministries and AICEP. It is known that the objective was to anticipate possible environmental constraints before submitting the environmental impact study.
The company also intends to obtain the status of PIN, Potential National Interest, a mechanism that allows it to speed up administrative monitoring and licensing by the State.
Production will use forestry waste
The fuel will be produced through a process known as “methanol to jet”. The first phase consists of the production of methanol through the gasification of forest biomass and the incorporation of green hydrogen produced by water electrolysis. In a second stage, this methanol will be transformed into fuel suitable for use in commercial aircraft, says the same source.
Elyse Energy plans to use around 100,000 tons of biomass annually from forest cleaning and management. According to the same source, the project also admits using by-products from the sawmill industry. The industrial unit is expected to operate 24 hours a day, in three shifts, and create 100 permanent jobs, of which 80 will be local. Construction is expected to last two years and involve approximately 200 workers.
Old plan failed in the same location
Before this project, Navigator had announced a partnership with the German P2X Europe to produce sustainable fuel in the same region. This investment was expected to start in 2026, but ended up being halted due to the postponement of European targets for the mandatory incorporation of synthetic fuels in aviation. Brussels has set the objective that 6% of the fuel used in European aviation is sustainable by 2030. The target for 2050 rises to 70%, including a strong component of synthetic fuels.
Despite doubts about the economic viability of these fuels, due to the higher costs compared to fossil fuels, Elyse Energy decided to maintain its focus on Portugal. The project could transform Figueira da Foz into one of the reference points for SAF production in southern Europe. The public consultation on the preliminary proposal ends on June 1st, in a phase considered decisive for the advancement of the industrial project.
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