Syzygy Plasmonics and IFC partner for SAF projects across Latin America

Under the agreement, IFC will provide technical and commercial advisory services as Syzygy advances individual projects. The framework establishes a pathway for further collaboration as Syzygy scales its SAF platform across the region.

The first project supported under the framework is NovaSAF-1, a planned commercial-scale SAF facility in Durazno, Uruguay. As the first commercial deployment of Syzygy's technology, the project is expected to demonstrate a new approach to producing SAF using renewable electricity and biogas, while serving as a model for potential future facilities across Latin America.

The collaboration comes at a pivotal moment for the aviation industry, as airlines seek scalable, lower-carbon alternatives to conventional jet fuel. By combining Syzygy's proprietary light-driven technology with Latin America's abundant renewable energy resources and biogas feedstocks, Syzygy aims to accelerate the commercialisation of SAF in emerging markets.

Unlike conventional industrial processes that rely on fossil-fuel heat, Syzygy's proprietary technology uses renewable electricity to power light-driven reactors that convert biogas into SAF. The company estimates the process can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional jet fuel.

"The transition to lower-carbon aviation will depend on technologies that are not only innovative, but commercially viable and scalable," said Raphaël Eskinazi, IFC Regional Investment Manager for Manufacturing and Forests in Latin America and the Caribbean. "IFC's role is to help bridge that transition: supporting pioneering projects that can mobilise private capital, demonstrate new business models, and create pathways for broader market adoption across emerging economies."

"IFC's involvement is a strong signal that Syzygy is poised to disrupt the market; we have the technology, the project pipeline, and the commercial agreements that underpin it," said Trevor Best, Co-Founder and CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics. "IFC's role in helping innovative technologies become commercially viable and replicable across emerging markets matches the ambition of our NovaSAF™ build-out."

Syzygy's regional expansion is already supported by key commercial agreements. Trafigura has signed a binding offtake agreement covering the full production of NovaSAF-1, while Trafigura and World Fuel Services have entered into capacity reservation agreements for future facilities across the region. Syzygy has also secured feedstock agreements with multiple partners, including Estancias del Lago and Geo Bio Gas & Carbon. Together, these agreements support the company's long-term growth strategy, including a target of up to 1 million tpy of SAF production capacity in Brazil by 2035.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/the-environment/19082026/syzygy-plasmonics-and-ifc-partner-for-saf-projects-across-latin-america/