Sasol and Topsoe have signed a cooperation agreement with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Griesemann Gruppe to advance the construction and operation of DLR’s e-fuels demonstration and research facility at the Leuna Chemical Complex in Germany.

The Technology Platform Power-to-Liquid Fuels (TPP) will be the world’s largest e-fuels research and production facility, producing up to 2,500 tonnes of e-fuels per year once operational in late 2027. Supported by €130 million in funding from the German Federal Ministry for Transport, the plant will produce e-kerosene and other synthetic fuels using biogenic CO₂ and green hydrogen.

Designed as a bridge between laboratory research and industrial-scale production, the TPP will provide a unique platform for testing and optimising every stage of the power-to-liquid process – from electrolysis and synthesis to refining and fuel certification.

The facility integrates Topsoe’s eREACT™ technology with Sasol’s G2L™ e-fuels process, combining electrified reactor design and low-temperature Fischer–Tropsch (LTFT™) synthesis to convert captured CO₂ and renewable hydrogen into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Griesemann Gruppe is serving as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.

Construction began in October 2024, marking a major step towards large-scale e-fuels deployment in Europe. The TPP is expected to accelerate the commercialisation of sustainable aviation fuels, strengthen Germany’s role in the global e-fuels value chain, and support broader efforts to decarbonise the transport sector.