Technip Energies, Airbus, Safran, and Tereos Join Forces for SAF in Dunkirk

A Joint Venture to Produce 160,000 Annual Tons of Sustainable Fuel

Technip Energies, Airbus, Safran, and Tereos have signed an agreement to create Rebound, a joint venture dedicated to developing a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production project at the port of Dunkirk, France. The target capacity is set at about 160,000 tons per year, which would position the facility among the largest in Europe in this category. The project utilizes Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) technology, which converts advanced ethanol, produced from agricultural and forestry residues, into aviation fuel.

Role Distribution and Development Stages

Technip Energies will act as the principal developer and engineering service provider. Airbus and Safran will participate as industrial partners, procurement facilitators, and potential fuel offtakers. Tereos, a European leader in ethanol production, will supply the required advanced ethanol. The port of Dunkirk has already allocated an industrial site to Technip Energies, offering logistical advantages for the transportation of raw materials and the finished product. The partners will progress through a phased process including the selection of the technology licensee, permitting activities, the launch of engineering studies (pre-FEED and FEED), finalization of fuel supply and purchase agreements, as well as the mobilization of construction financing.

Regulatory Context and Financing Timeline

The project is part of the European Union's Refuel EU Aviation regulation, which mandates a gradual increase in the sustainable fuel blending rate in aviation: 6% by 2030 and 70% by 2050, resulting in an eightfold increase in demand between 2030 and 2050. The Alcohol-to-Jet technology emerges as a scalable and economically competitive option. The creation of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals, with completion expected in the second half of 2026.