KBR will manage the FEED and execution of Power2X’s eFuels plant in Rotterdam, set to make more than 250,000 tonnes of synthetic aviation fuel a year for EU blending mandates.
KBR has won the project management consultant role for Power2X’s eFuels plant in Rotterdam, the company said on 27 July. The plant is set to become one of Europe’s largest producers of synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF).
The facility is designed to make more than 250,000 tonnes of eSAF a year. That is close to 40% of the volume required under the first phase of the EU’s ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, according to KBR. The company expects completion in line with that first phase, between 2030 and 2032.
KBR will provide project management consultant services through the front-end engineering design (FEED) and execution phases. Its scope covers cost, schedule, quality and safety. The New York-listed engineering firm called the plant a flagship project for decarbonising fuels and a key investment in the Rotterdam petrochemical cluster.
The Rotterdam plant will run on imported green methanol as feedstock, made from green hydrogen and biogenic carbon. Converting methanol to jet fuel lets the project use molecules produced elsewhere with cheap renewable power, then finish the fuel at the port site. Power2X previously engaged Worley on the project.
Aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise, with few practical alternatives to liquid fuel. ReFuelEU sets rising eSAF blending targets that fuel suppliers must meet, creating firm demand rather than voluntary uptake. A single plant supplying two-fifths of the first-phase mandate would hold a large share of early European capacity.
“KBR is proud to support Power2X for the landmark eFuels project in Rotterdam, which will drive the advancement of SAF production in Europe,” said Jay Ibrahim, president of KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions. He said the firm would deliver the facility to European standards and to Europe’s clean aviation goals.
The award moves the project from design towards delivery and concentrates more clean-fuel activity in the Rotterdam port, already Europe’s largest refining and petrochemical hub. Reusing that industrial base can cut the cost and time of building new eSAF capacity.
Output still depends on final investment, a steady supply of green methanol and the pace of ReFuelEU demand. eSAF costs far more than fossil jet fuel today, so early plants lean on regulation to guarantee buyers. For Power2X, KBR’s appointment is a step towards proving the model at commercial scale.
