Municipal energy utility Skellefteå Kraft AB has revealed plans for large-scale Power-to-X (PtX) project in Skellefteå, northern Sweden. If fully developed, the planned facility would become one of Sweden's largest producers of electro sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF).
Since autumn 2022, Skellefteå Kraft has investigated the possibilities for a new large-scale industrial venture in Skellefteå, which if fully developed could become one of Sweden’s largest in sustainable jet fuel.
Suitable land for the venture has been identified on Näsudden in the Port of Skellefteå.
SkyKraft project
Skellefteå Kraft and the Netherlands-headed international aviation fuel player SkyNRG are taking the next step in the investment and starting a partnership.
Under the SkyKraft project, the parties have investigated the conditions for establishing a Power-to-Liquids (PtL) facility for large-scale production of sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) using biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and renewable hydrogen.
We are pleased to collaborate with SkyNRG in this ground-breaking project that demonstrates the potential of electro-fuels for aviation. This is in line with our vision of promoting renewable energy and contributing to the green transition and a fossil-free society. Northern Sweden has the perfect conditions to lead the energy transition, and we are proud to be part of it, said Joachim Nordin, CEO of Skellefteå Kraft.
SkyKraft will be a first-of-its-kind and strengthen northern Sweden’s leading position in the energy transition. The new facility could play a decisive role in the transition of aviation in Sweden, the EU, and globally.
If fully developed, the proposed SkyKraft PtL facility in the Port of Skellefteå could produce up to 100,000 tonnes of eSAF annually.
We are proud to collaborate with Skellefteå Kraft because our complementary competencies and our shared sustainability vision make Skellefteå a uniquely interesting place for eSAF production. We are determined to realize this project, said Philippe Lacamp, CEO of SkyNRG.
Unique conditions for eSAF production
According to the project proponents, Skellefteå has several preconditions that make it an ideal location for an eSAF facility.
- Fossil-free and renewable power: Skellefteå Kraft’s almost 100 percent renewable electricity from hydro and wind enables continuous and cost-effective production of eSAF.
- Great potential in biogenic carbon dioxide: Sweden has the best conditions in Europe to make use of biogenic carbon dioxide, which comes from the forest and district heating industry, and the Skellefteå region has the industrial capacity to provide it.
- Competitive and strategically located: Strategic investments in the regional network have created the conditions for new industrial projects in the region. Strategically located at the Port of Skellefteå, SkyKraft will transform the potential of Skellefteå’s access to renewable energy to reduce the aviation industry’s carbon dioxide emissions.
- Global demand for (e)SAF: The global aviation industry wants to change and is also required to do this, among other things through EU regulations on an increasing share of renewable aviation fuel at airports. There is thus a strongly growing demand for eSAF throughout the EU.
- Drop-in renewable fuel: eSAF enables a smooth transition for the aviation industry, as the renewable fuel can be used as a direct replacement for conventional aviation fuel, and does not require a change to new aircraft.
SkyKraft has been allocated a site at Näsudden in the Port of Skellefteå, and the ambition is for the feasibility study to bring the project to a Final Investment Decision (FID) with possible construction start in 2027.
If fully realized, SkyKraft would provide around 100 permanent jobs, and further strengthen Skellefteå’s position as Sweden’s hub for the green industry of the future.
