Improvements advance Altalto and NovaSAF 1 projects toward final engineering and investment decisions
Velocys has identified and implemented standardisation, manufacturing, and delivery efficiencies that reduce capital costs for its microFTL™ technology deployment by more than 30%. These improvements are being applied to two flagship Fischer–Tropsch (FT) Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) projects: Altalto in the UK and NovaSAF 1 in Uruguay.
As global SAF mandates expand, capital efficiency has become one of the most critical drivers of project viability. While policy incentives and offtake frameworks continue to support market growth, long-term scale-up depends on reducing total installed cost.
In response to clear market signals, Velocys re-examined its technology offering across active projects, working with strategic manufacturing partners to streamline reactor fabrication, modularisation, and delivery. The resulting optimisations maintain performance and technology readiness while materially lowering capital expenditure.
The Altalto project, located in the Humber region, is progressing toward engineering with support from the UK Department for Transport’s Advanced Fuels Fund. The revised capital profile strengthens the project’s economic positioning as it advances toward final investment decision.
Altalto is designed to convert residual household and commercial waste into low-carbon aviation fuel, supporting the UK’s domestic SAF ambitions and broader decarbonisation goals.
NovaSAF 1, developed by Syzygy Plasmonics, applies renewable-powered reforming and Velocys FT synthesis to produce SAF from biogas. The project recently achieved a significant commercial milestone with a long-term offtake agreement signed with Trafigura and is progressing toward final investment decision.
Application of the updated microFTL™ configuration further improves the project’s capital efficiency and strengthens its commercial case.
“These cost reductions reflect a deliberate effort to align our technology deployment model with the economic realities of today’s SAF market,” said Mathew Viergutz, CEO of Velocys. “By standardising key elements of our reactor and module design, and improving how they are manufactured and delivered, we are strengthening the investment case for FT-based SAF projects.”
Velocys continues to apply these efficiencies across its broader pipeline, reinforcing its role as a long-term technology partner focused on enabling commercially viable SAF production at scale.
Velocys is a technology licensor enabling the production of sustainable fuels through Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. Its modular microFTL™ technology supports the conversion of diverse feedstocks — including waste, biomass, and biogas — into low-carbon transportation fuels.
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