Karlsruhe-based company Ineratec has opened its power-to-liquid plant at the Frankfurt-Höchst industrial park. The facility is designed to produce 2,500 tons of e-fuels annually from CO₂ and hydrogen. According to the company, it is the world's largest plant of its kind. 70 million euros in funding support the project to decarbonize aviation and the chemical industry.
The plant sources both its raw materials directly from the Frankfurt-Höchst industrial park: The CO₂ comes from a biogas plant that recycles waste, while the hydrogen is generated as a byproduct of chlorine production. The synthetic crude oil is further processed into drop-in fuels, waxes, and chemicals.
"This first drop represents the beginning of a new era in sustainable fuel production," explained Dr.-Ing. Tim Böltken, co-founder and CEO of Ineratec, during the first production run in May. "With this plant, we are translating years of scaling into industrial reality, deploying synthetic fuels and reducing our dependence on fossil resources."
Drop-in Fuels Without System Modifications
The produced e-fuels are "drop-in ready" and can be used in existing systems such as aircraft engines without modifications. The synthetic crude oil can also be used as a base chemical for the production of sustainable plastics.
The project is being realized with a financing package of 70 million euros, consisting of 40 million euros in venture debt from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and a 30 million euro grant from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst. Additionally, the Environmental Innovation Program of the Federal Ministry for the Environment supports the commercial implementation. Further support comes from the EU Innovation Fund.
Investors include Piva Capital, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, HG Ventures, ENGIE New Ventures, Safran Corporate Ventures, and Honda, among others. Ineratec is already preparing international production facilities to serve the growing demand for e-fuels and e-waxes across various industries.
More Than Twelve Pilot Plants Served as Foundation
The company has been developing power-to-liquid technology since its founding in 2016. According to the company, it has already built more than twelve pilot and demonstration plants and tested the technology in various environments. However, the now-launched industrial production phase makes commercially relevant product quantities available for the first time.
The modular plant design is intended to enable rapid expansion of production capacities. By 2030, the company plans to multiply annual production through additional projects. This scaling is intended to help meet regulatory requirements such as the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation, which sets binding quotas for sustainable aviation fuels.
Hesse's Minister of Economic Affairs Kaweh Mansoori described the opening as a "pioneering milestone for independent European energy supply." "Sustainably produced synthetic fuels are essential for a climate-friendly future of aviation," Mansoori continued.
