INERATEC and Ramboll are moving ahead with the next engineering phase for an upgrading unit at INERATEC’s ERA ONE power-to-liquid plant in Frankfurt-Höchst, Germany, aimed at converting Fischer-Tropsch crude into standard-compliant synthetic aviation fuel (e-SAF) on site.
The companies have completed the project’s Pre-FEED (Front End Engineering Design) phase and are now working on FEED for the planned expansion. The upgrading system is intended to integrate additional processing steps into ERA ONE’s existing production infrastructure, bringing more of the e-SAF value chain within a single industrial platform.
The development is designed to support the production of drop-in-capable synthetic aviation fuels from captured carbon dioxide (COâ‚‚) and green hydrogen, while reducing reliance on external refinery infrastructure.
Upgrading unit to process Fischer-Tropsch crude into e-SAF
ERA ONE produces Fischer-Tropsch crude, a synthetic hydrocarbon mixture generated through INERATEC’s power-to-liquid process. Under the planned expansion, the crude will undergo additional processing to produce fuels that meet applicable aviation fuel standards.
These units will be integrated into the existing ERA ONE facility at Frankfurt-Höchst. The objective is to move beyond production of synthetic raw products towards finished, usable e-fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel.
According to INERATEC, integrating the upgrading stages will increase its technological control across the power-to-liquid value chain and enable synthetic fuel production within an integrated platform.
INERATEC and Ramboll combine PtL and engineering expertise
The cooperation builds on the two companies’ work during the completed Pre-FEED phase.
INERATEC is contributing its modular power-to-liquid technology, while Ramboll is bringing engineering and project-management capabilities for complex energy and industrial facilities, alongside its expertise in Power-to-X and sustainable fuels.
Tim Böltken, co-founder and CEO of INERATEC, said the further development of the upgrading technology represents a step towards industrial production of drop-in-capable e-SAF. He added that the ERA ONE expansion would allow INERATEC to take greater technological control over additional stages of the power-to-liquid value chain.
Anders Nimgaard Schultz, director, PtX & Gas Infrastructure at Ramboll, said scalable production solutions would be required to decarbonise aviation and that Ramboll would support the further development of ERA ONE.
ERA ONE targets integrated synthetic-fuel production
The planned configuration would establish a more integrated route from feedstocks to finished synthetic aviation fuel.
At the front end of the process, captured COâ‚‚ and green hydrogen are converted into synthetic hydrocarbons through the power-to-liquid pathway. The proposed upgrading section would then process the resulting Fischer-Tropsch crude into fuel products suitable for downstream use.
This integration could reduce the need to transport intermediate synthetic products to separate refinery facilities for upgrading. It also forms part of INERATEC’s broader approach to modular and potentially decentralised synthetic-fuel production.
The company describes ERA ONE as a blueprint for future industrial power-to-liquid facilities.
European support for e-fuel commercialisation
The ERA ONE project is supported by Breakthrough Energy Catalyst and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Both organisations are involved in efforts to support the commercialisation and deployment of emerging climate technologies, including sustainable energy and fuel solutions.
For the European aviation sector, e-SAF is one of several pathways being developed to reduce the carbon intensity of aviation fuel. Its production requires low-carbon electricity or other renewable energy inputs, as well as suitable sources of hydrogen and captured carbon.
The economic viability of large-scale e-SAF will depend on factors including renewable electricity costs, green hydrogen availability, COâ‚‚ sourcing, plant utilisation, fuel certification, infrastructure and the regulatory environment.
Bioenergy Business Analysis
The INERATEC-Ramboll cooperation highlights an important shift in power-to-liquid projects: moving from the production of synthetic intermediates towards integrated production of finished, aviation-grade fuels.
Adding isomerisation, hydrocracking and distillation to ERA ONE could address one of the practical challenges in e-SAF production—the need to connect synthetic-fuel production with downstream upgrading and fuel specification. Bringing those stages closer together may simplify the value chain, although the commercial and operational benefits will ultimately depend on the performance and economics of the integrated system.
The project is also significant because e-SAF requires coordination across several energy-intensive inputs. Captured COâ‚‚, green hydrogen and renewable energy must be available at suitable cost and scale, while the resulting fuel must meet aviation specifications. The completion of FEED will provide a more detailed basis for assessing the engineering configuration and eventual deployment of the expansion.
If implemented as intended, ERA ONE could therefore serve as a reference point for INERATEC’s approach to modular power-to-liquid facilities. However, the move into FEED should not be interpreted as equivalent to commercial-scale operation of the upgraded facility; further engineering, financing, construction, commissioning and certification steps would remain relevant before the expanded configuration can produce certified e-SAF.
