Orlen plans to produce 70,000 tons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) annually. EU regulations require that by 2035, SAF accounts for 20% of the aviation fuels used, as it is a key factor in decarbonizing air transport. Alongside SAF, Orlen is also working on the production and use of green hydrogen. The development of both segments is supported by the recently announced NEON III competition, jointly launched with the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR).
“SAF is a specific product Orlen is very interested in. The acronym stands for Sustainable Aviation Fuel, which means the product is classified as a bioproduct or is made from waste materials. We are changing our approach—not focusing on fossil origin, but renewable sources, within a circular economy framework,” explained Dr. Arkadiusz Majoch, Director of the Research and Development Office for Petrochemicals and the Refinery of the Future at Orlen Group, in an interview with Newseria.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that global SAF production reached 1 million tons in 2024—double the amount from the previous year—yet this accounted for only 0.3% of global aviation fuel production. The organization forecasts production will double again this year to 2.1 million tons, raising the share to 0.7%. This share is expected to grow gradually across Europe. Under the EU’s Fit for 55 package, the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation mandates that carriers gradually increase renewable fuel content at major EU airports—to 6% by 2030, 20% by 2035, and 70% by 2050. In Poland, eight airports are covered by this regulation.
“Developing this technology responds to needs expressed by organizations representing operators and aircraft manufacturers, who have declared readiness to reduce environmental impacts of fuels. There are milestones to achieve: from 2025, fuel producers will increasingly feel the necessity to introduce such biocomponents. In the long term, by 2040–2050, we will see almost exclusive use of such fuels—not as blends with mineral fuels,” said Dr. Majoch. “These goals have already been integrated into business relations in Poland, and airport operators expect fuel producers to supply SAF.”
Orlen explains that e-fuels are produced by combining hydrogen with biogenic CO2 or CO2 captured from the air. Although CO2 is emitted when these fuels are burned, the amount is balanced by the CO2 captured during production, making e-fuels carbon neutral.
Orlen is working on projects to deliver adequate volumes of SAF to the Polish market.
“An installation for such fuel is already under construction in Płock. The raw materials are similar to those used to produce biodiesel for diesel fuel, but the chemical structure is completely different. These are hydrocarbons, so the product is more comparable to conventional fuel and will more easily replace fossil-based conventional fuel,” explained Dr. Majoch.
Development in this segment is supported by cooperation with universities, including the Warsaw University of Technology (Płock branch) and the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. An agreement was signed in January. Another initiative supporting SAF development is the NEON III competition—a joint Orlen and NCBR venture focusing on refinery-petrochemical innovations. One area targets technologies for producing SAF and synthetic gasoline using CO2 or biomass-based raw materials, as well as innovative technologies for producing synthesis gas for synthetic aviation fuels meeting RFNBO criteria (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin).
“We focus on producing this fuel, optimizing technological processes, and targeting more challenging waste streams that require more care than food-grade raw materials. This is important—we concentrate on non-competing streams, which NEON addresses. We also aim to develop synthetic gasoline from renewable sources for sustainable fuels in road transport, not just aviation,” said Dr. Majoch.
The NEON III program will also develop low- and zero-emission hydrogen technologies from various feedstocks.
“Low- and zero-emission hydrogen is basically our raw material of the future. Produced from renewables, it serves as feedstock for our refineries and petrochemical plants and as an energy carrier for transport. We currently supply such hydrogen at two dedicated hubs used in transport. Our strategy strongly targets increasing green, low-, and zero-emission hydrogen in our production assets. Existing hydrogen production should be fully replaced with renewable or low-emission hydrogen. This makes investments in renewables and green hydrogen a core part of our decarbonization strategy,” emphasized the Orlen representative.
Orlen launched its first hydrogen hub in 2021 in Trzebinia, producing gray hydrogen. Eventually, it will produce low-emission hydrogen from renewables. The company is also considering building a hydrogen hub linked to an offshore wind farm under construction, depending on market demand.
“The direct link with offshore wind energy is planned. Initially, green energy will be dedicated to production assets where decarbonization and greening are necessary. The market demand for green hydrogen from wind farms, including its use in transport, will evolve according to market expectations and scale. Currently, we are ready to connect renewable hydrogen production with our existing capabilities, but appropriate regulations and market demand addressing green hydrogen specifically are needed,” Dr. Majoch said.
In mid-May, Orlen VC Fund announced its investment in Hystar, a producer of PEM electrolyzers for mass zero-emission hydrogen production. The patented Norwegian technology allows use of membranes up to 10 times thinner than standard electrolyzers, significantly increasing efficiency and reducing hydrogen production costs. Orlen highlights this solution as key to achieving its strategic goals for the coming decade. By 2035, the company aims to use 350,000 tons of renewable and low-emission hydrogen annually.
