Sasol and Topsoe plan Zaffra wind-down as SAF licensing takes priority

Sasol and Topsoe intend to wind down their sustainable aviation fuel joint venture, Zaffra, and put greater emphasis on their technology licensing partnership, SAF Investor reported. Following a strategic review, the companies plan to make their Single Point Licensor (SPL) framework the main structure for continued cooperation, describing the change as a reorganisation rather than a withdrawal from SAF.

Established in 2023, Zaffra brought together Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch fuel technology and Topsoe’s clean fuels technologies to pursue opportunities in the developing SAF market. According to SAF Investor, the venture has since helped the partners understand the market, build a pipeline of projects and establish relationships with customers and other participants in the value chain. The companies now believe a more targeted, adaptable arrangement is better suited to the market’s next stage.

The SPL framework predates Zaffra, having been established in 2019, and already has six signed licences, SAF Investor reported. It will take a central role as Sasol and Topsoe continue a relationship spanning more than three decades. Their work together has focused on bringing complex fuel technologies, including first-of-a-kind applications, into commercial use.

Sasol president and chief executive Simon Baloyi said the decision represented a new organisational phase for the partnership. He credited Zaffra’s team, customers and partners with laying the groundwork for its SAF activities and reiterated Sasol’s commitment to sustainable fuels development through its technology cooperation with Topsoe.

Topsoe president and chief executive Elena Scaltritti likewise linked the restructuring to changes in the SAF market. She said the partners would strengthen cooperation under SPL while adapting organisational arrangements for selected projects and priority initiatives. Both companies said they would conduct Zaffra’s wind-down in an orderly manner, meet compliance requirements and work responsibly with the stakeholders involved in the transition.