South African energy and chemicals company Sasol is set to provide its Fischer-Tropsch technology to SkyNRG’s Project Wigeon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility in Washington State, extending a technology partnership with Denmark’s Topsoe as the global aviation industry seeks to expand supplies of lower-carbon fuels. SkyNRG announced on September 28, 2026, that it had selected Technip Energies, Sasol and Topsoe as key partners for the initial engineering activities of the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) phase of Project Wigeon, a planned facility at the Port of Walla Walla in eastern Washington. The project is designed to produce 50 million US gallons of SAF annually, alongside renewable diesel, using renewable natural gas as a feedstock and commercially proven Fischer-Tropsch technology. Production is targeted for 2031.
For Sasol, the agreement represents another step in the company’s expansion of its sustainable aviation fuel technology business beyond South Africa. Under the arrangement, Sasol will provide its low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch technology, which forms a central part of the process used to convert synthesis gas into liquid hydrocarbons that can subsequently be upgraded into fuels. Topsoe will provide complementary technologies for producing synthesis gas and upgrading the resulting fuel. The companies have each signed engineering and technology agreements with SkyNRG covering their respective technologies, engineering design and technical support, while Technip Energies is supporting the FEED process.
The engineering phase is significant because Project Wigeon has not yet reached a final investment decision. FEED is intended to refine the technical configuration, capital requirements and execution strategy required before a project can move towards construction. SkyNRG says engineering is ongoing, with construction expected to begin in 2028 and production targeted for 2031. The project is planned for a site of approximately 165 acres at the Port of Walla Walla’s Wallula Gap Industrial Business Park. Environmental review has also advanced, with Washington State authorities recording a mitigated determination of non-significance for the project under the State Environmental Policy Act process.
Project Wigeon is being developed around renewable natural gas, also known as biogenic methane, sourced from waste streams such as landfills, wastewater treatment facilities and agricultural operations. SkyNRG says the feedstock will be sourced in Washington and elsewhere in the United States and delivered through existing natural-gas infrastructure. The facility will then convert the gaseous feedstock into SAF and renewable diesel. The company expects the resulting fuels to support lower lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions compared with conventional fossil-based jet fuel, although the actual emissions performance depends on feedstock characteristics, production processes and the accounting methodology used.
The project is part of a broader effort to expand SAF production in North America. SkyNRG identifies Project Wigeon as its first SAF production facility in the United States and plans to supply fuel to aviation markets in Washington and other West Coast regions where clean-fuel policies create demand for lower-carbon fuels. The company has also secured support from Boeing and other partners through offtake arrangements for SAF produced in the United States. Washington state has introduced policies including its Clean Fuels Standard and Climate Commitment Act that form part of the policy environment supporting projects such as Wigeon.
The role of Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch technology is particularly relevant because Fischer-Tropsch synthesis provides a pathway for converting syngas into liquid hydrocarbons. Sasol has more than seven decades of experience with Fischer-Tropsch technology and has positioned the technology as a platform that can process different feedstocks for synthetic and sustainable fuels. The company says its Fischer-Tropsch technology can support the conversion of renewable feedstocks into SAF, while its existing expertise in synthetic fuels provides a technical base for commercial-scale production.
The Project Wigeon agreement also comes as Sasol and Topsoe restructure their collaboration in the SAF market. In June 2026, the companies announced that they would prepare for the orderly wind-down of Zaffra, the 50:50 joint venture established to develop, build, own and operate SAF projects. The decision does not end the technology relationship between the two companies. Instead, Sasol and Topsoe said they would continue their collaboration through a Single Point Licensor framework established in 2019, allowing them to jointly offer integrated technology solutions to project developers. Six licences had already been signed under the framework at the time of the announcement.
The distinction between the Zaffra structure and the continuing technology relationship is important for understanding the Project Wigeon agreement. Rather than relying on the joint venture as the vehicle for developing every SAF project, Sasol and Topsoe are now using their technology licensing relationship to participate in individual projects. The companies said the more flexible model would allow them to pursue selected projects where their combined technology offering provides value while reducing the organisational structure associated with the joint venture.
Project Wigeon follows other 2026 agreements that demonstrate how this revised model is being applied. In July, Sasol and Topsoe signed a licensing agreement with Allied Biofuels for a planned SAF and e-SAF facility in Uzbekistan. The project is expected to combine Topsoe’s SynCOR technology with Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch technology, with Allied Biofuels targeting a final investment decision in 2027 and commercial operations around 2030. The proposed facility is expected to produce approximately 300,000 tonnes of eSAF and SAF annually as part of a broader integrated development.
A second project involves Canadian developer Sustaero, which is developing a facility designed to convert wood waste into SAF. Under its agreement with Sasol and Topsoe, the project will use their Gas-to-Liquid technology, integrating Topsoe’s hydrogen production, gas reforming and hydroprocessing technologies with Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch and treatment technologies. Sustaero expects its initial facility to produce approximately 144,000 tonnes of SAF annually, with the site designed to allow future expansion.
The sequence of projects illustrates the expanding range of feedstocks and production pathways being considered for SAF. Project Wigeon will use renewable natural gas, Sustaero is focused on wood waste, while the Uzbekistan project combines biomass, green hydrogen and carbon dioxide pathways. These approaches differ technically, but they share the objective of producing aviation fuels that can reduce lifecycle emissions while retaining compatibility with existing aviation infrastructure.
SAF has become an important component of aviation’s decarbonisation strategy because commercial aviation remains dependent on energy-dense liquid fuels, particularly for medium- and long-haul flights. Sasol notes that SAF is designed as a drop-in fuel that can be blended with conventional jet fuel and distributed through existing fuel infrastructure. The International Air Transport Association has identified SAF as a major component of the pathway towards aviation’s net-zero target, while technology providers such as Topsoe are developing several routes for producing certified SAF from renewable feedstocks.
For Sasol, the growing project pipeline also has significance for South Africa’s position in the emerging SAF market. The company has been developing its own SAF capabilities in South Africa, including plans to increase sustainable fuel production at its existing assets as suitable feedstocks and certification pathways become available. Sasol says its Secunda operations can currently produce a semi-synthetic jet fuel component that can be blended with conventional jet fuel, with the company targeting increased SAF production in the coming years.
The company’s international technology agreements therefore sit alongside efforts to develop a domestic SAF industry. In September 2026, Sasol also announced a commercial SAF partnership with White Desert, under which SAF volumes will be supplied for Cape Town-to-Antarctica expeditions. The agreement followed the certification of Sasol’s Natref refinery under the ISCC+ sustainability certification system and represents an early commercial application of SAF in the South African aviation market.
For Africa, the international expansion of Sasol’s SAF technology has a wider industrial significance. South Africa has longstanding expertise in Fischer-Tropsch technology, synthetic fuels and large-scale chemical processing. As global demand for lower-carbon aviation fuels develops, these capabilities could provide opportunities for African companies to participate not only as fuel producers but also as technology providers, engineering partners and suppliers within emerging SAF value chains.
The challenge, however, remains the economics and availability of sustainable feedstocks, infrastructure, technology and long-term offtake agreements. SAF projects require significant investment before reaching commercial operation, and their environmental performance depends on the sustainability and traceability of the feedstocks used. Project developers must also secure appropriate permits, engineering designs, financing and customers before large-scale facilities can move from development into construction.
Project Wigeon has already secured its site and environmental approvals and is now moving through FEED, but its next major milestone will be the final investment decision. SkyNRG says the facility is expected to create up to 600 construction jobs and approximately 100 permanent positions once operational. The company also expects the plant to contribute to domestic production of SAF and renewable diesel in Washington State.
The agreement consequently represents more than another technology licensing deal for Sasol. It demonstrates how the company’s Fischer-Tropsch expertise is being incorporated into a growing international portfolio of SAF projects at a time when Sasol and Topsoe are moving away from the Zaffra joint-venture structure while retaining their underlying technology partnership. For Project Wigeon, the immediate focus is now on completing engineering work and establishing the technical and commercial basis for a future investment decision. For Sasol, the project provides another opportunity to commercialise South African-developed technology within the rapidly developing global sustainable aviation fuel market.
