Located in Espoo, the University of Tampere spinout has said the project will be a pre-commercial pilot, focused on building the ecosystem, testing value chains and refining the production process, which uses biogenic CO2 and green hydrogen as a feedstock.
Alongside Liquid Sun, Finnair and Finavia, ABB will act as a technology partner and accelerator in the initiative, supporting system integration and scaling, while Fortum will provide renewable electricity and, in future, green hydrogen for production.
The partners have said the plant will be operational by the Autumn (2025).
While the release doesn’t confirm a firm offtake agreement, the involvement of Finnair and Finland’s airport operator Finavia ensures the pilot’s small-scale output will be channelled into aviation validation rather than left unused.
The plans align with EU aviation mandates requiring a steady rise in renewable fuel use through 2050. From 2030, the rules extend to synthetic fuels made from CO₂, reaching a 70% blend by 2050 — with e-SAF accounting for half.
The mandate applies to airports with at least 800,000 passengers or 100,000 tons of cargo annually, which includes Helsinki Airport and Rovaniemi Airport.
“As the owner of Finland’s airports, we at Finavia want to do everything we can across the aviation value chain to promote more sustainable air travel,” explained Henri Hansson, SVP, Sustainability, Safety, Security and Technology at Finavia.
“This means bold climate collaboration with our stakeholders, as well as actively understanding and testing new technologies across all airport operations.”
Liquid Sun CEO Pasi Keinänen said Finland’s resources, partners and regulatory framework make it well placed to lead in e-SAF, calling rapid piloting and validation the best path to establishing a new synthetic fuels industry.
While e-SAF is seen as both a practical replacement for jet fuel and a key offtake market for green hydrogen, critics warn it cannot approach cost parity with fossil-based aviation fuel without heavy subsidies.
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