Project Starling Topsoe Technology Selected for e-SAF Project in UK

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Carbon Neutral Fuels has chosen Topsoe’s SOEC technology for its e-SAF project – Project Starling in Workington, UK. On completion, the project is expected to produce 25,000 metric tons of e-SAF annually.

Lyngby/Denmark – Topsoe has been chosen to deliver advanced Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) technology, consuming 120 MW green power for Carbon Neutral Fuels’ e-SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) project called Project Starling in Workington, UK. The plant is expected to produce 25,000 metric tons of e-SAF per year. Construction is planned for 2028 with operations expected in 2031 pending final investment decision.

The project was the largest e-fuels award of the UK Government’s third Advanced Fuels Fund granted in July 2025, directly delivering on the UK’s SAF Mandate.

Topsoe has signed a Front-End Engineering and Design (Feed) agreement with Carbon Neutral Fuels (CNF) based on Topsoe’s state-of-the-art SOEC electrolyzers for CNF’s commercial-scale e-SAF project called Project Starling.

This agreement marks the first commercial application of Topsoe’s SOEC technology for use in commercial SAF production.

Sundus Cordelia Ramli, CCO, Power-to-X at Topsoe, said: "Incorporating our SOEC technology into Carbon Neutral Fuels’ SAF project is a moment of significant pride for Topsoe. Carbon Neutral Fuels is at the frontier of the UK’s decarbonization ambitions, delivering a significant SAF project using mature and diversified production technologies. We’re pleased to have them onboard as our first SOEC customer for commercial SAF production, and we’re excited to help deliver the project alongside the project’s consortium.”

Alasdair Lumsden, Co-Founder at Carbon Neutral Fuels, added: "We’re thrilled to have Topsoe as our SOEC partner in the ASAP-DAC project. The levels of data and research backing the efficacy of their technologies were instrumental in building confidence in their product, and we look forward to doing our share in regards to the decarbonization of the aviation sector and deliver on the UK’s Jet Zero initiatives.”

The electrolyzer stacks for the project will be delivered from Topsoe’s SOEC manufacturing facility based in Herning, Denmark. First deliveries are expected in 2028 pending CNF taking Final Investment Decision (FID) on the project.

About Project Starling

Located in Workington, UK, the Starling project is a first-of-a-kind Power-to-Liquid e-fuel facility, aiming to use Topsoe’s SOEC electrolyzers to produce 25,000 metric tons of e-SAF per year. The project is currently undergoing Front-End Engineering Design (Feed) stage, with construction planned for 2028 and operations targeted for 2031.

Once fully operational, the facility is projected to achieve an 89 % reduction in lifecycle emissions compared to fossil jet fuel, making a significant contribution to the UK’s climate targets.

In July 2025, Project Starling received the largest grant awarded to an e-fuels company, comprising 6 million pounds, out of 17 projects from the UK Government Department for Transport’s Advanced Fuel Fund Window 3, which aims to accelerate the development of the UK’s SAF sector and support delivery of the government’s Jet Zero Strategy and SAF mandate.

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