Southern and Axens sign MoU to advance SAF projects

Axens is a global provider of process technologies, equipment, catalysts, and services for the conversion of oil and biomass into cleaner fuels, renewable fuels, and bio-based chemicals, natural gas treatment, and carbon capture solutions. The company's portfolio includes more than 3000 industrial units under license worldwide and a full suite of solutions from feasibility studies through unit start up and lifecycle support.

Under the MoU, Southern is responsible for leading overall project development, including site work, permitting, feedstock, and offtake engagement, and coordination with local stakeholders. Axens is slated to serve as licensor of record for key technologies across the value chain, including CO₂ capture and conditioning and SAF production technologies, with the goal of advancing a de risked, bankable pathway from regional biomass to low carbon fuels. The parties expect to focus first on the Louisiana facility, then evaluate additional opportunities in other regions as appropriate.

In parallel with the Axens collaboration, Southern has created an experimental digital token referred to as '$SAF.' The current concept is to use $SAF over time as a data layer that helps track and visualise production from Southern's facilities, starting with limited use at the pilot plant and, subject to further development and approvals, extending to the flagship Louisiana project. The framework is intended to link token issuance and retirement to measured output and associated operational data, with the goal of improving traceability around SAF production and providing an additional lens on process performance and optimisation, without changing how the underlying fuels are produced, sold, or accounted for.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/08042026/southern-and-axens-sign-mou-to-advance-saf-projects/