Syzygy Plasmonics Secures Landmark SAF Offtake Deal with Trafigura

Syzygy Plasmonics has announced a major commercial breakthrough with the signing of a binding six-year Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) offtake agreement with Trafigura. The agreement has been executed through Syzygy’s subsidiary, SP Developments Uruguay S.A., and represents one of the most significant commercial validations of Syzygy’s light-driven reactor technology to date. Under the terms of the deal, Trafigura will purchase the full production output from Syzygy’s first commercial SAF facility, NovaSAF-1, with initial deliveries expected to begin in 2028. In addition, the agreement provides Trafigura with an option to acquire volumes from Syzygy’s future SAF projects, creating the potential for long-term, scalable supply of compliant SAF for global aviation markets.

This development comes at a critical time for the aviation industry, as governments worldwide expand SAF blending mandates while the availability of sustainable feedstocks continues to tighten. These constraints have been highlighted in multiple industry assessments, including long-term outlooks that warn of increasing competition for limited resources such as used cooking oil and other waste-based inputs. Syzygy’s approach directly addresses this challenge by utilizing widely available biogas combined with renewable electricity in a modular, electrified production platform. At commercial scale, this model is expected to be highly cost-competitive and, in some cases, more economically attractive than conventional SAF pathways that depend on feedstocks with limited supply.

Marketed under the NovaSAF™ brand, Syzygy’s production pathway has already achieved ISCC pre-certification, enabling the manufacture of Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) and Advanced BioSAF-compliant fuels. This certification is particularly relevant for Europe, the United Kingdom, and other regions that have set ambitious decarbonization targets for aviation by 2030. By offering an alternative, scalable SAF route, Syzygy’s technology expands the range of solutions available to regulators and fuel consumers seeking to reduce aviation emissions.

According to Trevor Best, the agreement represents a decisive step toward large-scale commercialization. He noted that securing a binding offtake arrangement with a global player such as Trafigura, combined with the successful completion of Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) in December, positions the company to move forward with project financing and construction. With these elements in place, Syzygy is transitioning from technology development to full commercial deployment.

The NovaSAF-1 project itself will be located in Durazno, Uruguay, and is expected to become the world’s first electrified biogas-to-SAF facility producing RFNBO-compliant fuel. The plant will source biogas from the Estancias Del Lago powdered milk facility and use Uruguay’s renewable electricity grid to produce synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK). The resulting SAF is projected to deliver lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions of up to 90% compared with conventional fossil-based jet fuel, while maintaining strong project economics.

From Trafigura’s perspective, the agreement aligns closely with its broader low-carbon fuels strategy. Jason Breslaw emphasized that diversifying SAF supply is essential as regulatory requirements become more stringent. Leveraging Trafigura’s global distribution network, the company aims to help aviation customers meet compliance obligations efficiently and at competitive cost, while supporting innovative production pathways such as Syzygy’s biogas-to-SAF model.

With the NovaSAF-1 blueprint now established, Syzygy plans to replicate this project model internationally. Having completed FEL 3 engineering, the company’s next major milestone is raising capital to fund construction, paving the way for broader global commercialization and accelerated deployment of cost-effective SAF production worldwide.