Zhejiang Jianglan selects Topsoe as technology provider for SAF project in China

Topsoe, a leading global provider of advanced technology and solutions for the energy transition, announced April 29 that it has signed an agreement with Zhejiang Jianglan, a company in the Jianglan Energy Group that specializes in areas of the energy transition, to provide technology and services to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The project is located in Zhoushan City in the eastern province of Zhejiang, China, and will utilize Topsoe’s HydroFlex® technology, licensing, technical expertise and engineering services as well as its proprietary catalysts for SAF production.

The facility is expected to start construction in September with operations due to begin in December 2026.

Once fully operational, the site will produce 300,000 tons of SAF annually.

It will initially supply European customers with plans to subsequently target China’s local market.

When in full operation, Topsoe’s technology will expectedly enable an annual emission avoidance of approximately 698,000 tons of CO2e.

This is the equivalent of avoiding the emissions from approximately 2 million passengers flying from Beijing, China, to Copenhagen, Denmark.

“We’re very pleased to work with Zhejiang Jianglan on this project as scaling SAF supply is essential to decarbonize aviation,” said Elena Scaltritti, Topsoe’s chief commercial officer.

“Our partnership with Zhejiang Jianglan marks another key step in building out SAF supply and at the same time support evolving energy needs globally,” Scaltritti said.

Hu Bowei, chairman of Zhejiang Jianglan Bio-energy Technology Co. Ltd., added, “Jianglan is building a closed-loop full industrial chain of feedstock collection and efficient conversion for low-carbon application by leveraging its biomass collection and storage network. We are also integrating with the oil-and-gas industrial cluster in the Zhoushan area of the Zhejiang Free Trade Zone to cultivate a new growth engine for green fuels. At the same time, the Bank of China will utilize its global advantages and comprehensive services to actively support the development of the Xiaoguoju Green Petrochemical Expansion Zone, empowering the upgrade of the green-energy industry. Together, all parties aim to create a world-class, domestically leading SAF production base.”

This agreement addresses the rapidly growing global demand for SAF.

The International Air Transport Association projects that SAF production will more than double in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching 2.1 million tons (approximately 713 million gallons), or 0.7 percent of total global jet-fuel production.

To stay on track for net zero by 2050, the International Energy Agency’s net-zero scenario suggests that over 10 percent of fuel consumption in aviation needs to be SAF by 2030.

With HydroFlex®, customers can convert various fats, oils and greases into drop-in renewable jet and diesel that meet all globally accepted specifications for these fuels.

Topsoe’s HydroFlex can be deployed in both grassroots units and revamps for coprocessing or fully renewable applications.

Jianglan Energy Group is a comprehensive industrial group driven by green and low-carbon development, with bioenergy as its core segment.

The group leverages an internationally advanced biotechnology platform to specialize in the production of clean energy such as biodiesel.