Metafuels, the Swiss aviation technology company developing synthetic sustainable aviation fuel, has been awarded €1.92 million in grant funding from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency under its TSE Industry Studies, Hydrogen & Green Chemistry programme (GroenvermogenNL).
The grant goes to Metafuels' Dutch subsidiary, Metafuels Nederland B.V., to advance the development of the Turbe project, the company's first commercial e-SAF facility, located at the Evos terminal in the Port of Rotterdam.
The funding covers front-end engineering and design (FEED), permitting and consents, and commercial preparation ahead of a final investment decision (FID) targeted for mid-2026.
Metafuels' core technology, aerobrew, converts renewable methanol into drop-in jet fuel using a methanol-to-jet process the company says delivers up to 90% lower lifecycle emissions than conventional kerosene, with no modifications required to existing aircraft or airport infrastructure.
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FEED on the Turbe project was awarded to engineering and construction firm McDermott in December 2025. Turbe is designed to initially produce 12,000 litres of e-SAF per day, with a second phase planned to increase production tenfold to 120,000 litres per day.
Production is targeted from 2030, aligned with the point at which EU ReFuelEU Aviation synthetic fuel sub-mandates begin.
The Rotterdam location is not incidental. The Port of Rotterdam is Europe's largest port and the Evos terminal is a dedicated multimodal methanol hub, the largest ethanol storage provider on the continent — giving
Metafuels access to the renewable methanol supply chain, logistics infrastructure, and industrial expertise it needs to make the project viable. The Turbe facility is intended as a blueprint for subsequent large-scale e-SAF plants.
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency grant supports the project development phase ahead of the investment decision; it does not fund construction.
Metafuels has now raised over $46 million in total, including a $24 million round led by UVC Partners announced in February 2026 (with Energy Impact Partners, Contrarian Ventures, RockCreek, Verve Ventures, and Fortescue Ventures), a $5 million grant from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, and prior equity rounds.
The company is headquartered in Zurich and led by CEO Saurabh Kapoor. Metafuels also has a planned facility in Denmark (Pizol) and is preparing a demonstration plant at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland.