Name of the Project

Phelan Green electro-sustainable aviation fuel project.

Location

Saldanha Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.

Project Owner/s

Phelan Green Group, through its clean-fuels subsidiary Phelan eFuels.

Project Description

The project entails the development of a commercial-scale electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) facility.

The first phase is expected to produce about 35 000 t/y of eSAF, while full development of all phases is planned to increase production to about 140 000 t/y for export to EU and UK markets.

The initial phase will use a 200 MW electrolyser, forming the first tranche of a planned 800 MW deployment.

The facility will use renewable electricity, water and captured CO₂ to produce SAF.

Renewable hydrogen produced through electrolysis will be combined with CO₂ using Johnson Matthey’s HyCOgen technology to form carbon monoxide, which will be combined with additional hydrogen to make synthesis gas. Johnson Matthey and bp’s FT CANS technology will convert the synthesis gas into synthetic crude oil, which will subsequently be upgraded using Honeywell UOP’s Fischer Tropsch Unicracking technology to produce eSAF that meets aviation fuel standards.

Potential Job Creation

The project is expected to support thousands of local jobs across its multiple phases.

Capital Expenditure

R47-billion for the wider Phelan Green Hydrogen Project, of which the eSAF facility forms a core part. A separate capital cost for the eSAF facility has not been stated.

Planned Start/End Date

Construction is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Latest Developments

Phelan Green Hydrogen announced in June 2026 that it had signed licence and engineering agreements with Johnson Matthey Catalyst Technologies for the first phase of the
project.

Johnson Matthey will provide its HyCOgen and FT CANS technologies, completing the core process-technology configuration for the facility.

The project will be Johnson Matthey’s first deployment of HyCOgen and FT CANS in Africa. The planned first-phase output is expected to be equivalent to as much as 6% of the EU’s and UK’s mandated eSAF volumes for 2030.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants

Johnson Matthey Catalyst Technologies (licence and engineering agreements covering HyCOgen and FT CANS technology; Honeywell UOP – Fischer Tropsch (unicracking process technology); and Sungrow Hydrogen (200 MW electrolyser supply agreement for the first tranche of the planned 800 MW electrolyser deployment).

Contact Details for Project Information

Phelan Green Group, tel +27 21 433 0366.