Swiss Aviation Startup Secures €1.92 Million Dutch Government Grant for Rotterdam Fuel Plant

2026-04-01 green

Rotterdam, Wednesday, 1 April 2026.
Metafuels received funding from Netherlands Enterprise Agency to advance its Turbe project, which converts renewable methanol into sustainable aviation fuel using proprietary aerobrew technology, targeting commercial production by 2030.

Strategic Government Investment Validates Innovative Technology

On March 31, 2026, Metafuels Nederland B.V., the Dutch subsidiary of the Zurich-based aviation technology company, received the €1.92 million grant from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) [1]. This funding represents a significant endorsement of the company’s proprietary methanol-to-jet technology, known as aerobrew, which converts renewable methanol into aviation fuel [1]. The grant will specifically support project development activities through to final investment decision (FID), including front-end engineering and design (FEED), permitting and consents, and commercial development [1]. Saurabh Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer of Metafuels, emphasized the strategic importance of the Rotterdam location, stating that “Rotterdam is one of Europe’s most important energy and industrial hubs, and an ideal location to deliver large-scale synthetic fuel projects” [1].

Turbe Project: From Demonstration to Commercial Scale

The Turbe project represents Metafuels’ first commercial deployment of its aerobrew technology, with production planned to begin from 2030 onwards, strategically aligning with e-SAF sub-mandates under ReFuelEU Aviation [1]. The facility is being developed in collaboration with Evos at the Port of Rotterdam, starting at 12,000 liters per day and scaling to 120,000 liters per day [5]. In December 2025, Metafuels awarded McDermott a FEED contract for the Turbe project [1][6], marking a crucial milestone in the project’s technical development. The company has already demonstrated its technology at a methanol-to-jet demonstration plant installed at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland [1], providing the technical foundation for the commercial Rotterdam facility.

Innovative Approach to Global Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply

Metafuels’ methanol-to-jet approach offers a unique advantage in the sustainable aviation fuel landscape by disaggregating the value chain [2]. According to Leigh Hackett, President and Co-Founder of Metafuels, this technology allows methanol to be “produced in regions with abundant, low-cost renewable energy and shipped globally, while SAF production takes place closer to major aviation hubs” [2]. This model enables European locations such as Rotterdam to produce competitive e-SAF by sourcing renewable methanol from global suppliers, addressing the challenge of electricity costs that affect many other e-SAF pathways [2]. The Port of Rotterdam’s existing infrastructure supports this approach, with facilities like Liquin’s methanol storage terminal maintaining a methanol pool of around 250,000-300,000 cubic meters [5].

Financial Backing and Industry Context

The Dutch grant follows Metafuels’ successful €20.7 million funding round led by UVC Partners earlier in 2026 [1], demonstrating strong investor confidence in the company’s technology and market potential. The company was founded in 2021 by Saurabh Kapoor, Leigh Hackett, and Ulrich Koss [1], and has been expanding its European project footprint with development activities in both the Netherlands and Denmark [1]. This funding comes at a critical time for the sustainable aviation fuel industry, as the UK’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate, introduced in January 2025, requires fuel suppliers to blend SAF starting at 2% and increasing to 10% by 2030 [3]. The European regulatory environment is increasingly supportive of such projects, with the EU announcing a €3 billion investment to accelerate sustainable aviation fuel production in November 2025 [3].

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green technology sustainable aviation fuel