Partnership secures biogenic CO₂ supply for French e-SAF project

Agreement with Rhône Décarbonation covers half of the carbon feedstock H4 Marseille Fos needs to produce sustainable aviation fuel from 2032

Hy2gen France's H4 Marseille Fos project and the Rhône Décarbonation project have signed a long-term partnership securing 50% of the biogenic CO₂ that H4 Marseille Fos will need for its e-SAF (synthetic sustainable aviation fuel) production. The companies describe the deal as the first structured Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) value chain in France.

Locally sourced CO₂ for European fuel production

Under the agreement, Rhône Décarbonation — a partnership between Vicat, SPSE and Elengy — will supply half of the CO₂ that H4 Marseille Fos needs to make methanol, which is then refined into e-SAF. Rhône Décarbonation's capture unit, VAIA, captures 1.2 Mt of CO₂ a year at Vicat's cement plant in Montalieu-Vercieu, Isère; SPSE's pipeline network then carries it to H4 Marseille Fos. The supply is due to begin when production starts in 2032.

Aviation decarbonisation with a French base

H4 Marseille Fos is among a wave of e-SAF projects under development in Europe. From 2032, the plant is expected to produce 75,000 tonnes of e-SAF a year using Methanol-to-Jet technology, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by up to 84% compared with fossil kerosene — around 240,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent saved annually.

Hy2gen said the project supports the European Union's target, set out in the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, of a 10% e-SAF share in aviation fuel by 2040. With CO₂ supply now partly secured, the project moves a step closer to a final investment decision (FID), targeted for 2028.

Regional supply chain, wider energy resilience

Hy2gen said the project is intended to build a locally anchored production chain for sustainable aviation fuel at a time when geopolitical uncertainty and volatile energy markets have raised the value of energy independence. The company's aim is to supply fuel that meets EU rules for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO): e-SAF counts toward EU quotas where the hydrogen used comes from renewable or low-carbon electricity and the carbon comes from a sustainable, biogenic source, ahead of a 2040 deadline. Hy2gen said the secured CO₂ supply meets this criterion and underpins the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation-compliant production it is aiming for. 

The Methanol-to-Jet process also allows e-methanol to be shipped in and processed into e-SAF on site, meaning the plant could act as a European import hub for e-methanol from regions with lower production costs over the longer term.

Cyril Dufau-Sansot, CEO of Hy2gen, said: "With this agreement, H4 Marseille Fos secures a critical building block of its value chain: a reliable, sustainable CO₂ source. The project creates a local value chain in the south of France, delivering new job opportunities and a new economic driver for the region.

"Peaking energy prices show weaknesses of fossil energy carriers, which are partly dependent on fragile supply chains in the current political climate. With RFNBO and low-carbon e-fuels, Europe and other regions can develop their own fuel supply without relying on fossil resources such as crude oil. Renewable electricity, water, and biogenic CO₂ are the key feedstocks required to produce RFNBO and low-carbon products and we have them right here."

Alexis Martinez, CEO of H4 Marseille Fos, said: "Securing 50% of our biogenic CO2 supply with industrial partners as solid as Vicat, SPSE and Elengy sends a strong signal to the entire ecosystem. The CCU sector is taking shape with the involvement of all stakeholders and shows that H4 Marseille Fos is firmly rooted in the industrial reality of the region."