International PtX Hub develops e-fuel pilots

Two MoUs signed in May 2026

The first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 7 May 2026 with Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical (BSR), a subsidiary of PetroVietnam and the operator of Viet Nam's largest refinery at Dung Quat. Under the agreement, BSR and the International PtX Hub will work towards a pilot plant using renewable electricity and non-fossil carbon. A biogenic CO₂ stream from BSR's own bio-ethanol plant is being considered as a feedstock option. 

Later that month, a second Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the World Hydrogen Summit 2026 in Rotterdam, between Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationals Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Ecopetrol, Colombia's largest energy company. The Colombian pilot is to be developed at Ecopetrol’s Cartagena refinery and can build on the Coral Project, a green hydrogen facility already commissioning at the same site. A kick-off workshop in Bogotá is planned for early July 2026.

Working with state-owned refiners

large, state-owned actors in the petroleum sector. This choice is deliberate. Refining incumbents such as BSR and Ecopetrol bring engineering capacity, refinery infrastructure, utilities, and the financial strength required to take a first-of-a-kind plant from concept to commercial operation. By developing the first PtL pilots through these companies, the programme aims to create credible reference cases for national decarbonisation that can be replicated by other industrial actors in the region.

Kenya: laying the groundwork for a third pilot

In parallel with the two industrial partnerships, The International PtX Hub is preparing a third pilot in Kenya, where the work is at an earlier stage. A recent pre-feasibility study, developed in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and Kenya Airways, assesses how the country could produce SAF and sets out a route towards a first plant.

Kenya is well placed for this. It has abundant renewable energy from geothermal, solar, wind and hydro sources, and it is a regional aviation hub, handling some 8.6 million passengers in 2023. SAF production is already a stated national priority under Kenya's Green Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap for 2023 to 2032, supported by a National Action Plan for Aviation and a dedicated steering committee.

The study recommends a hybrid Power-and-Biomass-to-Liquid plant using the Methanol-to-Jet route, drawing on renewable electricity and local biomass residues, with an output of around 21,900 tonnes of SAF a year. It compares three possible locations: Olkaria for its renewable energy resources, Nairobi for skilled labour and proximity to the country's main airport, and Mombasa for water access and its seaport. The next step is an Expression of Interest to the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, followed by a full feasibility study and the search for an industrial partner.

A replicable model for industrial decarbonisation

The companies best placed to decarbonise the fossil fuel industry are often the ones running it today. That is the premise behind the pilots in Colombia and Viet Nam, which aim to be ready for construction by early 2028. By turning state-owned refiners into producers of climate-neutral e-fuels, the International PtX Hub aims to show that the energy transition in hard-to-abate sectors does not require building from scratch. It can start from within